https://arab.news/6m3uy
- Basil Saad’s death confirmed a year after Iraqi media reports describing his ‘inexplicable’ disappearance
- Player’s father says DNA tests carried out on body recovered from Mediterranean
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. 20, 2024.
Greek authorities on Friday provided “unclear” photos of a body recovered from the Mediterranean, he added.
The father said that Saad’s family had been notified by Interpol that DNA tests carried out on the body had “a 99.9 percent match.”
“We made DNA tests to confirm if it was him, and the samples matched,” he said.
Saad began his footballing career with Naft Al-Basra, playing in the first team for several seasons before moving to Naft Meesan Club.
He also played for Al-Qaddisiyyah, Al-Bahri, Al-Kahraba, and Samarra.