Bringing joy to war-torn Syria

Bringing joy to war-torn Syria

He is the man tasked with spearheading Syria's attack, and, at 29, is already a veteran on a team whose average age is 25.

Yet, vice-captain and striker Sanhareb Malki has set foot in his home country only once in the last three years - and only for one day.

One can hardly blame him. Since 2011, Syria has been embroiled in civil war, as reports of chemical attacks on civilians, suicide bombings and torture continue to plague the country.

More than 110,000 people are believed to have died in the ongoing conflict.

The unrest back home has forced Malki to move his family to Jordan and Turkey, where he plays for football club Kasimpasa.

Nevertheless, he hopes that victory against Singapore in tonight's 2015 Asian Cup qualifier will provide a brief respite for his countrymen back home.

He said: "Many people in Syria love football. We know if we win, they will be happy. Anything that makes them happy will be good for them in this moment."

Interaction between the Syrian national team and their supporters have been limited.

Home matches are played in Iran due to security issues, while 20 players in the current squad of 23 ply their trade overseas.

Syria coach Anas Makhlouf lamented that he had only four days to prepare the squad in Lebanon for tonight's match, before flying to Singapore.

The former Syria international said: "It's difficult to make arrangements to train together (as a team) for a long time."

All these have not stopped football-mad Syrians from reaching out to the players via social media.

"They follow us on Facebook and Twitter. They try to send us messages to encourage our team because it is difficult for them to come to Teheran to watch our games," said Malki, who was Dutch first division side Roda JC's top scorer last season with 17 goals.

In spite of all their troubles back home, the Red Eagles have shown they are no pushovers in the international arena.

Up against regional powerhouses in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup group stage, they upset Saudi Arabia 2-1, while only a late Keisuke Honda penalty prevented them from securing a draw against eventual Cup winners Japan.

Last December, they won the West Asian Football Federation Championship - their first piece of silverware since winning the 1957 Pan Arab Games - after beating Iraq 1-0 in the final.

If anything, Singapore need to be on top of their game against Syria to secure a good result.

Singapore coach Bernd Stange would know about the threat Syria can post. The German coached the Iraqi national team from 2002 to 2004 when the country was mired in a war against a United States-led coalition.

He has warned against underestimating Syria, saying: "After the war in Iraq, there was nothing left. You couldn't play matches in Iraq. But the players want to play for the country, for the people who are suffering at home in difficult circumstances.

"In this difficult time, they had the most successful period. They qualified for the Olympics (2004), and they won the Asian Cup (2007).

"Don't underestimate such teams. We have to go all out to get a result."

siangyee@sph.com.sg


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