ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday provided 450 million dinars (about $343,000) to Sulaimani’s Newroz SC, with the football club undergoing a dire financial situation.

The financial aid to the club comes after Newroz’s owner and People’s Front leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi was arrested in a late August operation by forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Sulaimani. His arrest left the club’s finances in freefall. 

“After Newroz Sports Club was faced with a difficult situation in the past few months, Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] Prime Minister Mr. Masrour Barzani, granted 450 million Dinars to Newroz Club through his office,” Barzani’s office said, in a statement seen by The New Region. 

“This support and assistance from the prime minister is to back sports and athletes in the region so they can represent the Kurdistan Region at a high level."

Shadman Mala Hasan, a senior People's Front member, told a press conference in October that Jangi’s house was looted by the PUK-affiliated forces who raided the jailed leader’s residence. Hasan claimed that “a large sum of money” belonging to Newroz SC had also been stolen after the August altercation.  

Jangi’s arrest and the subsequent lack of attention given to the club by Sulaimani officials saw the sports club spiral down on and off the pitch. Newroz began performing significantly worse after Jangi’s arrest, having lost the last five official matches it has played in the Iraqi Stars League - the top flight of Iraqi football - and the country’s super cup. 

In addition to the plummet in performance, the club in October officially pleaded for financial support.

“The Newroz Sports Club calls on its fans and supporters, and its citizens both inside and outside the country, that now is the time to prove your loyalty, responsiveness, cooperation, and support so that we can stand on our own feet and continue the journey of serving sports in the city of Sulaimani and its surroundings,” the club wrote in a statement posted on Facebook. 

“We await you with great hope to together ensure the light of the Newroz torch does not go out. So decide now to come to the aid of your club with whatever amount and whatever you can. We are waiting for you, and we ask for your generosity,” it added 

The statement prompted several fundraisers and Sulaimani’s people to pack Newroz’s stadium, with sports enthusiasts donating to the club from across the Kurdistan Region. Newroz announced mere days later that fellow Kurdish clubs such as Erbil SC, Duhok SC, and Zakho SC, and their fans had heeded the club’s call for help. 

“The people of the city of Sulaimani and its surroundings, and Newroz Sports Club, will never forget this stand you have taken! Our three brotherly Kurdish clubs and their fans promised to provide help to our club,” the club said. 

Newroz also urged the government to provide the club with financial assistance through recordings of Sulaimani’s notables, calling on the KRG to help alleviate their financial burden.