Yussef Suleiman ( ar, يوسف سليمان, also transcribed as Sleman; 17 September 1986 – 20 February 2013) was a
Syrian
football player.
Suleiman was born in
Homs and last played for
Al-Wathba SC
Al-Wathba Sport Club ( ar, نادي الوثبة الرياضي) is a Syrian professional football club based in Homs, that competes in the Syrian Premier League.
History
Al-Wathba is a professional football club based in Homs, Syria, and the ...
. He was killed by a mortar shell fired by the
armed opposition during the
Syrian civil war, while preparing for training practice inside a hotel in
Baramkeh, Damascus. The attack occurred a few hours before the team was to play a league game against the
Hama-based
Nawair club at
Tishreen Stadium
Tishreen Stadium ( ar, مَلْعَب تِشْرِين, Malʿab Tišrīn) is a multi-use all-seater stadium in Damascus, Syria, currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home venue of the al-Shorta SC. The capacity of the stad ...
in
Damascus.
His teammates reported that he was the father of a six-month-old baby.
FIFA president
Sepp Blatter expressed his condolences in an
open letter
An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally.
Open letters usually take the form of a letter addressed to an indiv ...
to the
Syrian Football Association
The Syrian Arab Football Association (SFA; ar, الاتحاد العربي السوري لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Syria, controlling the Syrian national team and the Syrian Premier League. The Syrian Football Ass ...
over the matter.
He played for Al Karamah in the
2008 AFC Champions League knockout stages.
Notes
According to some sources Suleiman was 19 years old at the time of his death.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suleiman, Yussef
1986 births
2013 deaths
Syrian footballers
Al-Karamah players
Association football forwards
Sportspeople from Homs
Deaths by explosive device
People killed in the Syrian civil war
Syrian Premier League players