A reporter observed: ‘They walked out across no-man’s land, clutching white flags, ḥalāl footballs and burkas for goalposts. Kurdish Militants Wednesday and Da'ish International Rovers - played out in the brief 10 minute ceasefire. Unsullied by FIFA corruption or a Paul McCartney ballad, these brave soldiers extended a hand of peace in pock-marked landscape, resembling a 1970’s football pitch.
‘Sky sports coverage extended to an excitable Chris Kamara mispronouncing Arabic names and confusing which side is which – a problem US and Russian bombers have regularly had. And while some players complained about the commercialization of football, all agreed that the shirt sponsorship by Kevlar was a good idea.
‘Unfortunatey, 200,000 innocents lost their lives in the ensuing football violence.’