Shots fired amid Afghan soccer match mayhem By Rosalind Russell

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan police have fired shots into the air and set off smoke bombs to control football fans as the long-awaited "Game of Unity" between a Kabul team and foreign troops degenerated into mayhem.
The match, planned as a step towards normality in the war-torn country, was being played in Kabul football stadium previously used for public executions by the deposed Taliban government.
Several thousand fans were beaten back with batons as rifle-wielding police and German troops from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) tried to contain fans surging towards the gates.

The kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes as ticketless fans tried to force their way in to watch their local heroes take on the burly ISAF troops.
Some fans threw stones at the police, who threw them back, a witness said. There were no reports of serious injuries but the tension illustrated the difficulties facing the interim government of Hamid Karzai as it tries to unravel the effects of decades of war.

Despite heavy security some fans managed to scale a stadium wall to get in. "We really want to see this match but there weren't enough places," said 17-year-old Faizal outside the stadium.
The trouble broke out at the gates at one end of the stadium, near a mosque where thousands of frustrated Haj pilgrims have been camped out waiting for flights to Saudi Arabia.

It was not immediately clear if any of the pilgrims were involved in the disturbances at the nearby stadium. Frustrated pilgrims, enraged by a lack of flights, killed a government minister at Kabul airport on Thursday.

As the game got under way the capacity 30,000 crowd was mostly jovial and well-behaved. But some frustrated fans locked outside pelted stones over the wall at one end, prompting spectators to cover their heads with blankets.
The stadium has been the scene of some of some of the worst atrocities of the former Taliban regime, including public executions and lashings.

"There are some horrific stories about people being executed during the half time of matches," said ISAF team captain Jonny Crook.
"Hopefully this normal football match will demonstrate a sea change in the environment of Kabul."

The 20-player ISAF squad, made up of 12 British troops, two Frenchmen and soldiers from Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands, were favourites to win but the match was locked at 1-1 at half-time.

With former Tottenham Hotspur skipper Gary Mabbutt and former makem England coach and Southampton manager Lawrie McMenemy watching from the bench, Kabul United took the lead in the 15th minute when Sayed Tahir cracked in a stunning volley from the edge of the box.

ISAF fought their way back into the match, with a prolonged period of possession leading to the equaliser in the 34th minute when Italian striker Giacomo Ligouri scored from close range to equalise.

Afghan football has also taken some heavy knocks and standards have slipped since the glory days of the early 1970s when the national side boasted victories over Iran, India and Pakistan.

The match was officiated by premiership referee Peter Jones and the winning team will lift the premiership trophy -- briefly on loan from the Football Association.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2002