Forget the civil war … its football time

April 13, 2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the start of the Lebanese Civil War, but this year, the rival camps in Lebanon – March 8 and March 14 — decided to remember this day in a friendly football ( soccer) game in a show of solidarity.

All Lebanon’s three top leaders:President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri were invited to play , but only Hariri accepted the invitation and he will be the captain of his team .

The match will take place Tuesday at 6:30 pm at the Cite Sportif in Beirut ( Camille Chamoun Sports Stadium) , but in accordance with current regulations governing the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), no spectators will be in attendance to prevent any outbreak of violence.

The teams will wear red and white uniforms

All 30 Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from both the majority March 14 coalition and the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance as well as ambassadors, security chiefs and presidents of Lebanese sports associations were also invited to the game under the emblem “we are all one team.”

“Sports teach a winner to be graceful and a loser to tolerate his loss … We want to show that we are on the same team,” said Sports and Youth Minister Ali Abdullah, who decided to participate in the game ,” if they let him”

Some of the the MPs and ministers that will take part in the 30-minute match are: Ali Abdullah , Ziad Baroud, Gebran Bassil, Mohammed Rahhal, Akram Shehayeb, Youssef Saadeh Simon Abi Ramia, Ibrahim Kanaan, Ghassan Mukhaiber, Fadi al-Awar, Antoine Zahra, Alain Aoun, Ali Ammar, Ammar Houri, Serge Torsarkissian, Nadime Gemayel, Sami Gemayel and Ali Miqdad and Ali Bazzi