The rise of football in the Middle East

Waleed Salem Al-Lami (back) of Iraq in action against Omar Abdulrahman (front) of the UAE during the AFC Asian Cup 2015 third place soccer match at Hunter Stadium in Newcastle, Australia

MENTION Iraq and people relate the country to weapons of mass destruction, the late Saddam Hussein, the American invasion of 2003 and now, the Islamic State (IS).

So many problems and yet, there is a light in that darkness in terms of football.