Felipe Ramos Rizo Recalls Being Held at Gunpoint by Soldiers in Iraq

Former Mexican referee Felipe Ramos Rizo shared a harrowing story from his international career, recounting the moment he was held at gunpoint by Iraqi soldiers during a FIFA assignment. In an appearance on El RePortero, a podcast hosted by former goalkeeper Yosgart Gutiérrez, Ramos Rizo recalled the frightening incident that occurred during a trip to Iraq in 2001.

He had been selected by FIFA to officiate a match between Iraq and Iran in Baghdad, just a few years after the countries' conflict had ended. “They told me, ‘We’ve got good news and bad news,’” he said. “The good was I’d referee Ecuador vs. Uruguay, a World Cup decider. The bad was I had to go to Iraq first.”

The 24-hour journey ended in a stadium filled with 25,000 fans, 10,000 of whom held up portraits of Saddam Hussein. The match went on without issue, but danger struck later. While walking through the city, Ramos Rizo and his team stopped to take a photo near a large portrait of Saddam. Suddenly, soldiers appeared and aimed their weapons at them.

“It scared the hell out of us,” Ramos Rizo recalled. “We were in shorts, the heat was unbearable.”