Syria national football team in Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium, Tehran. 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification. By Javid Nikpour [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.[This article is the outcome of a partnership between SyriaUntold and openDemocracy].
For the first time in over five years, locals from Western Aleppo gathered to watch a football derby in the war-torn city on January 28, 2017. Citizens of all age groups flocked to the event with renewed vigor and excitement.
Some praised the return of football to Aleppo, and, in turn, the return of safety and security to the once-vibrant city. They cheered and chanted songs on drums and trumpets, and celebrated heartily when local side Al-Ittihad, one of the most successful clubs in Syrian football history, defeated longtime rival and fellow Aleppo-based team Al-Hurriya 2-1.
