Foreign Office Minister condemns recent attacks in Iraq
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt condemns the recent attacks in Iraq targeting football and other sports.
Commenting on recent attacks in Iraq targeting people taking part in sport and spectators, Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, said:
鈥淚 am sickened to hear of the recent attacks in Iraq targeting people playing and watching football and other sports. My prayers go out to the families of those who have been injured or lost their lives in these cowardly attacks.
鈥淪port is a unifying force, enjoyed by billions of people across the globe. It is about teamwork, passion and strength through adversity, teaching young people in particular about working hard and working together with people of all colours and creeds.
鈥溁使谔逵齛pp Iraqi and British people share a love of football, and I will never forget playing football with former members of the national team when I visited Baghdad earlier this year. Iraq and England recently played each other in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and Iraqis are now celebrating their team鈥檚 great success in that competition.
鈥淚 wish the Iraqi team every success in the semi-final tonight in Trabzon. 皇冠体育app team鈥檚 achievements send the strongest message to terrorists that they will not succeed, and I am sure sports fans all around the world will stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people.鈥�
Further information
Follow Alistair Burt on Twitter
Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter
Follow the Foreign Office on and
Subscribe to the announcements feed or email alerts to get our latest news and announcements