SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — In a controversial move, the Peshmerga Commando Forces, affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), prevented Nawroz Sports Club’s junior team from playing their scheduled match against Peshmerga Sports Club at Farmandai (Commando) Stadium in Sulaimani.
The match, part of the Iraqi Under-21 League, was slated to kick off at 2:30 PM local time but was abruptly halted due to the intervention of the commando forces.
Nawroz Sports Club’s press office released a strongly worded statement condemning the incident. The club labeled the force responsible as an “outlaw group” acting under the PUK banner and accused them of disrupting the event upon direct orders from the PUK President.
“This act is against sports ethics and tarnishes the reputation of Sulaimani’s sports,” the statement read. Nawroz Sports Club called on the Iraqi Football Association to intervene and publicly condemn the act, stressing the need to safeguard the integrity of sports in the Region.
The club also criticized the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), holding it accountable for the actions of the forces involved. They highlighted that the commando forces are funded through public resources and operate under the government’s payroll, urging the KRG to take action to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Sports enthusiasts and athletes across the Kurdistan Region are being called upon to unite in condemning what Nawroz Sports Club described as an attack on the values of sportsmanship and the progress of Kurdish sports.
