Iraqi footballer ‘drowned in bid to enter Greece by small boat,’ Naft Al-Basra club says
BEIRUT: Iraqi footballer Basil Saad’s death has been confirmed by his club, Naft Al-Basra, which said the midfielder drowned while crossing the Mediterranean in a bid to enter Greece. News of Saad’s death comes almost a year after Iraqi media reported on the player’s “inexplicable” disappearance. On Friday his club posted an obituary on social media mourning the player. The club wrote: “Naft Al-Basra Sports Club and all its staff extend their deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of our former player Basil Saad, who passed away following a tragic drowning incident in Turkiye.” The 27-year-old footballer was reported to have left Turkiye with 23 other people on a small boat heading toward Greek island of Symi in an attempt to migrate to Europe. There have been no reports on how he reached Turkiye. According to media reports, the boat stopped close to the island and those on board were told to swim to shore. Saad is believed to have drowned 50 meters offshore. His father told Iraqi iNews Channel that his son disappeared on Sept.
