"How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes." - Ahmed Manajid, midfielder
"My problems are not with the American people. They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the stadium and there are shootings on the road? . . . The war is not secure. Many people hate America now. The Americans have lost many people around the world--and that is what is happening in America also." - Adnan Hamad, soccer coach
"I want the violence and the war to go away from [Najaf] . . . We don't wish for the presence of Americans in our country. We want them to go away." -Salih Sadir, scorer of the winning goal against Portugal.
"I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists? Everyone [in Fallujah] has been labeled a terrorist. These are all lies. Fallujah people are some of the best people in Iraq." - Ahmed Manajid, midfielder