Ammo Baba's
State Funeral of the Iraqi Assyrian
sport's Legend

BBC) -- Iraq's legendary football player and coach Emmanuel Baba Dawud has been buried at the country's biggest stadium in the capital Baghdad.

Dawud, better known as Ammo (uncle) Baba, died on Wednesday after suffering complications from diabetes. He was 74. He scored Iraq's first goal in an international match in 1957, and was admired for his attacking flair. After his retirement in 1970, he led the national football team to the Olympics in 1984 and 1988. The coffin draped in an Iraqi national flag was lowered into a grave at Baghdad's al-Shaab football stadium compound - as Dawud had requested before his death.

"We loved Ammo Baba from our heart, as a player, trainer and a teacher," Iraqi Vice-President Abel Abdel Mahdi was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. "We loved him and bid him farewell with our heats, and he will always be in the Iraqi people's hearts."

Photos of the arrival of his body in the Iraqi capital Baghdad

Ankawa Kum - Tahir Obelhd

After a memorial service by the official and body AAmmo Babba, the welknown Iraqi Assyrian Socore trainers was taken by the Iraqi officials from the province of Dohuk, led by the Deputy Governor of Dohuk, Kourkis Shilmon Wardoni, Mr. Vice-President of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, Mr. Bashar Mustafa, large number of officials, athletes and fans to another official funeral service in the town of Irbil. From the stadium of Martyr Francois Hariri to Erbil International Airport where a large number of officials, led by Mr. Beto Nimrod, Minister of Tourism, and Irbil in particular military aircraft of the Iraqi air force transferred to the Muthanna airport, where his body was received drapped in an Iraqi flag at the airport by a large number of officials, led by Mr. Yonadam Kanna we are a member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives secretary-general of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and MP Ahmed Radi and thousands of lovers of the deceased, his sister and a number of relatives and friends. His body was taken in procession to the funeral home, by the official in the Zayounaand the presidential honor, escort guards .