Sectarian chants cause Kurdish football teams to withdraw from Iraqi Premier League

Kurdish teams Erbil and Zakho announced their withdrawal from the Iraqi Premier League following sectarian chants during a match between Erbil and Najaf on Friday.

During the match, supporters of Najaf chanted anti-Kurdish remarks against the Kurdish team, Erbil, whose players left the pitch in response.

The decision to withdraw from the league was taken due to the sectarian and political slogans which were intentionally used by Najaf fans, according to Erbil Manager Abdullah Majid. “This act is rejected and has nothing to do with sports,” he added.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Iraqi Football Association decried the slogans used by some of Najaf team fans: “These phrases negatively impacted the country and reflected a foreign culture that is not in harmony with the history of Iraq,” the statement added.

Despite the apology, the team’s manager stressed that he will not return to the league unless there is “a political decision from the Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani”.

The association also pledged to impose tougher penalties against football fans that incite sectarian divisions.