The worst-timed football match ever

Hours after today’s tragic bombings at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, a qualifying football match was to be held between Lebanon and Iran.

And despite the killing and injuring of dozens this morning– with blood and bodies
splattered all over the place– the match went on as scheduled later this evening:

The stadium was empty. Some reports suggested this was in respect for the dead.
But this stadium is usually empty owing to regular bans against audiences to prevent political hooliganism.

I watched astonishingly at an arguile (hookah) cafe:

Yet none of the patrons sipping on their water pipes seemed to be fazed by the disconnect between the game and tragic events a few hours earlier.

Later I watched the evening news and the weather woman was wearing the usual night
club kit of mini-skirt and high heels. But in black… to mourn the dead?

Maybe we have become desensitized to violence as pointed by fellow blogger Gino. A little too desensitized, it seems.

UPDATE: For those interested in the score, it was a landslide 4-1 victory for Iran.
The Lebanese coach blamed the lack of an audience.