The A-League cult hero opens up on his secret satellite dish, post-Asian Cup threats, when
Iraq tried to recruit Graham Arnold and his own comeback hopes
![I’ve had setbacks in my life: Ali Abbas tries to find relaxation in football | Emma Kemp](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f3c4362c511d17e930d475f34632d31417a68099/0_60_1257_754/master/1257.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=9af358790517e6385c6508344f6d6db8)
Ali Abbas was 17 when he told Saddam Hussein’s men to go home. Warned them, rather, that US troops had taken Baghdad. The Abbas family was driving back to the capital they called home, having fled to the neighbouring Diyala province once the bombs started falling in early 2003, and on the way encountered the inevitable roadside congregation of uniformed figures.
The future A-League star and Iraq international’s initial instinct was to disclose what they knew, that Hussein’s shackled statue was toppling and the symbolism was about to get very real for the overthrown dictator’s allies.