In the largest city of Syria, Aleppo, football matches were held after a five-year break. Just last month, military actions were halted, and local people are trying to return to normal life and redirect their thoughts from tragic killings in sports events.
During the weekend match in the local "Al-Ittihad" city derby, they defeated the "Hurriya" football players with a score of 2:1. Official matches in Aleppo took place only in 2011, before the city was taken over by military forces.
However, now that the government has regained full control of the city, they have decided that it is already safe enough to delight the residents of Aleppo with sports events.
Although the football pitch had been damaged by winter frosts, and the stadium stands were destroyed by bombings, the atmosphere seemed cheerful, and local fans actively supported their teams.
The only reminders of unrest were a poster of Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad raised and riot police guarding the stadium entrances.
"I cannot describe how I feel playing in Aleppo again. My heart beats very fast," said "Ittihad" player Omar Hamidi before the match.
"We have the right to play in Aleppo. We play better here, we feel great fan support. We want to promote the name of the city," said Firas Al-Ahmadas, representing the opposing team "Hurriya".
The organizers of the Syrian Football League hope that the return of football to Aleppo will alleviate organizational problems, as until now, matches could only take place in the two largest cities.
lrytas.lt
