Serious about soccer

May 7, 2003.

Baghdad -- Playing soccer was anything but a game for Iraq's national team during Saddam Hussein's rule.

Controlled by Hussein's sadistic elder son, Odai, the squad lived in constant fear of losing a match because failure on the field could result in public humiliation, imprisonment, punishment and even torture.

March 27, 2005

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) -- Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufe Maiga said Mali's soccer team will pay for losing a World Cup qualifying game which sparked rioting, looting and the destruction of monuments in the capital Bamako.