SINGAPORE: In a defiant gesture of support for his country’s embattled leader, Syria’s national soccer coach wore a T-shirt of a smiling President Bashar al-Assad to a news conference here on Monday — and said he wanted to keep politics out of sport.

The coach, Fajr Ibrahim, was flanked by midfielder Osama Omari and a Syria Football Association official, who also sported matching white Assad t-shirts ahead of a 2018 World Cup qualifying match in Singapore on Tuesday.

The news conference came just hours after French warplanes pounded Islamic State positions in Syria and as police in Europe widened their investigations into coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday that killed more than 130 people.

On Saturday, Russia, the United States and powers from Europe and the Middle East outlined a plan for a political process in Syria leading to elections within two years, but differences remained over Assad’s fate.

Ibrahim said nobody had asked him to wear the T-shirt.

“This is our president, we are proud because Mr Bashar is our president, so proud,” he told reporters when asked about the choice of shirt.

“Because this man fights all terrorist groups in the world, he fights for you also. He is the best man in the world.”

Ibrahim said Assad was a keen supporter of the Syrian team, which is ranked 132nd in the world and has never qualified for a World Cup finals.

Syria plays its home games in Oman due to the civil war, which has also riven the national team, with some players fleeing the country or joining rebel forces.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2015