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{{Short description|Iraqi footballer (1934–2009)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ammo Baba
| image = Ammobabaold.jpg
| fullname = Emmanuel Baba Dawud
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|11|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Baghdad]], [[Kingdom of Iraq|Iraq]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|5|27|1934|11|27|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Dohuk]], [[Iraq]]
| position = [[Striker (association football)|Striker]]
| years1 = 1951–1954  
| years2 = 1954–1955  
| years3 = 1955–1957  
| years4 = 1957–1959
| years5 = 1959–1962  
| years6 = 1962–1964  
| years7 = 1964–1965  
| years8 = 1965–1967  
| years9 = 1967–1968
| years10 = 1968–1970
| clubs1 = RAF Employees' (Assyrian) Club  
| clubs2 = [[Al-Haras Al-Malaki]]
| clubs3 = [[Al-Athori SC|Al-Athori]]
| clubs4 = [[Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya]]
| clubs5 = [[Al-Athori SC|Al-Athori]] (player-manager)
| clubs6 = [[Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya]]
| clubs7 = [[Maslahat Naqil Al-Rukab]]
| clubs8 = [[Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya]]
| clubs9 = [[Maslahat Naqil Al-Rukab]] (player-manager)
| clubs10 = [[Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya]]
| nationalyears1 = 1953–1967
| nationalyears2 = 1953–1967
| nationalteam1 = [[Iraq military national football team|Iraq Military]]
| nationalteam2 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]] 
| nationalcaps1 = 55
| nationalcaps2 = 17
| nationalgoals1 = 21
| nationalgoals2 = 12
| manageryears1 = 1970–1974 
| manageryears2 = 1974–1975 
| manageryears3 = 1976–1978 
| manageryears4 = 1978–1980 
| manageryears5 = 1980–1981 
| manageryears6 = 1981–1984 
| manageryears7 = 1986 
| manageryears8 = 1986–1987 
| manageryears9 = 1987–1988 
| manageryears10 = 1988–1989 
| manageryears11 = 1991–1992 
| manageryears12 = 1992
| manageryears13 = 1992–1993 
| manageryears14 = 1993 
| manageryears15 = 1993 
| manageryears16 = 1993–1994 
| manageryears17 = 1994–1995 
| manageryears18 = 1995–1996 
| manageryears19 = 1996 
| manageryears20 = 1997 
| manageryears21 = 1997 
| manageryears22 = 1997–1998
| manageryears23 = 1998–1999 
| manageryears24 = 1999–2000 
| manageryears25 = 2000 
| manageryears26 = 2000–2001 
| manageryears27 = 2001–2002
| managerclubs1 = [[Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya]]
| managerclubs2 = [[Al-Jaish (Baghdad)|Al-Jaish]]  
| managerclubs3 = Al-Tamim Province XI  
| managerclubs4 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]  
| managerclubs5 = [[Al-Talaba]]  
| managerclubs6 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]  
| managerclubs7 = [[Al-Rasheed]]  
| managerclubs8 = [[Al-Tijara SC|Al-Tijara]]  
| managerclubs9 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]  
| managerclubs10 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]  
| managerclubs11 = [[Al-Zawraa]]  
| managerclubs12 = [[Al-Shorta]]  
| managerclubs13 = [[Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya]]  
| managerclubs14 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]  
| managerclubs15 = [[Qatar SC]]  
| managerclubs16 = [[Al-Zawraa]]   
| managerclubs17 = [[Al-Karkh SC|Al-Karkh]]  
| managerclubs18 = [[Ramadi FC]]  
| managerclubs19 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]  
| managerclubs20 = [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]  
| managerclubs21 = [[Al-Shorta]]  
| managerclubs22 = [[Al-Zawraa]]  
| managerclubs23 = [[Al-Talaba]]
| managerclubs24 = [[Salahaddin FC]]  
| managerclubs25 = [[Iraq national under-17 football team|Iraq U17]]  
| managerclubs26 = [[Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya]]  
| managerclubs27 = [[Al-Shorta]]
}}

'''Emmanuel Baba Dawud''' (27 November 1934 – 27 May 2009), better known as '''Ammo Baba''' ({{langx|ar|عمو بابا}}, {{langx|syr|ܥܡܘ ܒܒܐ}}), was an Iraqi [[Football (soccer)|football]] player and coach of the [[Iraq national football team]].<ref>Donabed, Sargon George. "Persistent Perseverance: A trajectory of Assyrian history in the modern age." In ''Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East,'' edited by Paul S. Rowe, 115–131. London: Routledge, 2018. </ref>

He scored the first international goal for Iraq in 1957 against [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]] at the [[2nd Pan Arab Games]] in [[Beirut]] and later returned to the team as the coach in 1978.

==Playing career==
Ammo Baba was born in [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]], of [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] ethnicity. He emerged in the Middle Eastern football scene at the age of 16 at a 1951 Pan Arab School Championship in [[Cairo]] playing for the Iraq against the home nation Egypt. He had been discovered by Iraqi schoolboys' coach Ismail Mohammed while playing for the Liwa Al-Dulaim school province team. Mohammed gave him the nickname 'Ammo Baba' and advised him to move to Baghdad to play for one of Iraq's top teams.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Goal.com|author=Mubarak, Hassanin|title=Ammo Baba: The Amazing Story Of Iraq's Football Legend |url= http://www.goal.com/en/news/1775/asian-editorials/2009/05/29/1292246/ammo-baba-the-amazing-story-of-iraqs-football-legend/}}</ref>
Ammo who is still revered by generations who never saw him play, was an instinctive out and out goalscorer, known for his bicycle kicks or backward double-kicks as they are known in Iraq, heading ability, and the power of his shooting. He had an opportunist's eye for goal but also displayed magnificent technique and virtuoso skill of a great footballer.

Ammo was born in [[Baghdad]] on the British controlled military camp RAF Hinaidi but moved with his family to live on the Civil Cantonment on the large RAF base in [[Habbaniyah|Habbaniya]] in 1937, where he first learnt to play the game of football. After playing for his school team, he moved to RAF Employees' (Assyrian) Club in 1951 replacing legendary striker and fellow Assyrian [[Aram Karam]], where he played with other famous Assyrian footballers such as Hormis Goriel, Emmanuel "Ammo Simsim" Samson and [[Youra Eshaya]]. In 1954 he signed for Baghdad-based [[Al-Haras Al-Malaki]] where he was a huge success, scoring bundles of goals, season after season. The goalscorer wore the legendary number 8, though that is not the number a forward normally wears, it did not stop him from scoring.
The prolific marksman was once the captain of a short-lived Arab national team during the mid-Sixties, in a Nasser-inspired experiment in Arab unity which failed due to the fact that, which Ammo Baba puts it 'no one wanted to play against us'. It had been the initiative of Arab radio station Sawt Al-Arab (Voice of the Arabs) in Cairo, and two of the best players from each Arab country were called up to take part in the team, from Iraq Ammo Baba, and Qais Hamed were selected. The team organised in [[Egypt]] did not play in any international competitions, managing only to play a few local teams in Cairo and Alexandria. Ammo Baba had been picked alongside Qais Hamed, and the team was able to beat Al-Ismaili, Al-Ittihad Alexandria, draw with Zamalek and lose to Tersana, with Ammo scoring the first goal for the Arab team, and hit another two goals against Al-Ismaili.

After brilliant scoring record for both Iraq and [[Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya]], he was spotted by English 2nd Division side [[Notts County]] managed by former Iraqi military coach [[Frank Hill]] and was offered a contract to play for them, but when the call from [[Meadow Lane]] came, he could not leave the country, due to a sudden coup led by the Iraqi General Abdul-Karim Qasim on 14 July 1958. A year earlier another former coach of his, [[Billy Cook (Northern Irish footballer)|William Cook]] offered him a chance to play for [[Crewe Alexandra]], then in the English Third Division and there were also offers from [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] and [[Celtic Football Club|Celtic]] but Ammo decided to stay in Iraq.

By the age of 20, becoming one of Iraq's most prolific goalscorers at both local and international level, with a near perfect 100% goal-scoring ratio from 1955 to 1960. As a player, he could adapt to any position, and played in defence, midfield and attack in his playing career.

A national championship winning coach at the age of 23 at [[Al-Athori SC|Al-Athori]], made even more impressive when you think it was done with an Assyrian only club policy, and in 1967, Ammo was coaching two teams in the Iraqi league.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Iraqsport.wordpress|author=Mubarak, Hassanin|title=Ammo Baba: The King is dead, long live the King |url= http://iraqsport.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/ammo-baba-the-king-is-dead-long-live-the-king}}</ref>

He went on to play and coach [[Al-Athori SC|Al-Athori]] (Assyrian Sports Club) to the Iraqi Cup Championship in 1960 beating his former employers Al-Jawiya 3-0 in the final, before returning to Al-Jawiya in 1962 after Al-Athori were relegated from the Iraqi first division. He later played for [[Maslahat Naqil Al-Rukab]] and [[Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya]] before calling it a day in 1970.

===International goals===
''Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.''

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;"
! No !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
|-
| 1. || 19 October 1957 || rowspan="2" | [[Beirut]] || {{fb|MAR}} || '''1'''–0 || 3–3 || rowspan="2" | [[Football at the 1957 Pan Arab Games|1957 Pan Arab Games]]
|-
| 2. || 23 October 1957 || {{fb|LBY}} || '''1'''–0 || 3–1
|-
| 3. || rowspan="2" | 15 November 1959 || rowspan="2" | [[Beirut]] || rowspan="4" | {{fb|LIB}} || '''1'''–0 || rowspan="2" | 2–0 || rowspan="7" | [[Football at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's qualification|1960 Olympics qualifiers]]
|-
| 4. || '''2'''–0 
|-
| 5. || rowspan="2" | 25 November 1959 || rowspan="2" | [[Baghdad]] || '''1'''–0 || rowspan="2" | 8–0
|-
| 6. || '''3'''–0
|-
| 7. || 6 December 1959 || [[Adana]] || rowspan="3" | {{fb|TUR}} || '''1'''–0 || 1–7
|-
| 8. || rowspan="2" | 13 December 1959 || rowspan="2" | [[Baghdad]] || '''1'''–1 || rowspan="2" | 2–3
|-
| 9. || '''2'''–1
|-
| 10. || rowspan="2" | 4 September 1965 || rowspan="2" | [[Cairo International Stadium]], [[Cairo]] || rowspan="2" | {{fb|South Yemen}} || '''1'''–0 || rowspan="2" | 6–0 || rowspan="2" | [[Football at the 1965 Pan Arab Games|1965 Pan Arab Games]]
|-
| 11. || '''2'''–0
|-
| 12. || 10 March 1967 || [[June 11 Stadium]], [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]]|| {{fb|SUD|1956}} || align=center | '''1'''–0 || align=center | 2–2  || [[Exhibition match|Friendly]]
|-
|}

==Coaching career==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Ammobabaold2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ammo Baba in full flight against Maslahat Naqil Al-Rukab's Mohammed Thamir during match in 1959.]] -->

Due to a serious injury he sustained in 1965 while playing for Iraq at the [[Pan Arab Games]] in [[Cairo]], Ammo was nearly forced to retire from the game but returned to play for a further five years. He began his coaching career at [[Maslahat Naqil Al-Rukab]] (Passenger Transport) team in [[Baghdad]] in 1967 in a player-coach role. A year earlier while returning from injury, the Iraq FA named him coach of the Baghdad XI side for a match against East Germany however they were beaten 4-0 by the Germans and Ammo was relieved of his duties.

In 1978, Baba was appointed as Iraq's football military national team coach, leading the team to its third [[CISM World Military Championship]] title a year later beating nations such as [[Austria national football team|Austria]], [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]], and [[Greece national football team|Greece]], on the way to the final where they beat [[Italy national football team|Italy]], on penalties.

The same year he was appointed as the head coach of Iraq's [[Iraq national football team|national team]] for the first time. He would be appointed and re-appointed on seven occasions, during the 1980s and 1990s (see below for exact years). Iraqis often call the 1980s as the "golden years" of Iraq football, where Baba led the national team to numerous tournaments and many titles.

Throughout his coaching years, Baba was also the Olympic team head coach, where he led the team to two [[Summer Olympics|Olympic]] appearances in [[Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles 1984]], and [[Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics|Seoul 1988]].

In addition, Baba led Iraq to three titles in the [[Gulf Cup of Nations|Gulf Cup]] (1979, 1984, 1988), the [[1982 Asian Games|Asian Games of 1982]], and the [[Arab Nations Cup]] in 1988.

Baba also found success in the [[Iraqi League]], where he led [[Al Talaba]] to a title in 1981. After leaving the national scene, Baba was hired by [[Al Zawraa]], and led them to a title in 1994.

===Managerial statistics===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|Nat
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="5"|Record
|-
!G!!W!!D!!L!!Win %
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1978
|align=left|1979
{{WDL|18|14|2|2}}
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1981
|align=left|1984
{{WDL|63|34|9|20}}
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1987
|align=left|1988
{{WDL|40|23|6|11}}
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1988
|align=left|1989
{{WDL|12|4|4|4}}
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1993
|align=left|1993
{{WDL|4|1|0|3}}
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1996
|align=left|1996
{{WDL|2|2|0|0}}
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1996
|align=left|1996
{{WDL|2|2|0|0}}
|-
|align=left|[[Iraq national football team|Iraq]]
|{{flagicon|Iraq}}
|align=left|1997
|align=left|1997
{{WDL|1|1|0|0}}
|-
!colspan="4" align="center" valign=middle|Total
{{WDLtot|142|81|21|40}} 
|}

==Personal life==
[[Image:Ammobabaasheadcoach.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Ammo Baba at a 1979 game.]]

Ammu Baba was one of the few prominent Iraqis to openly confront [[Uday Hussein]], the president of the Iraqi Football Association, once even refusing to accept a medal from him in front of 50,000 fans after a game in 1992.<ref name=independent>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ammo-baba-footballer-and-coach-revered-by-the-people-of-iraq-1695320.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123141646/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ammo-baba-footballer-and-coach-revered-by-the-people-of-iraq-1695320.html |archive-date=2015-01-23 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Ammo Baba: Footballer and coach revered by the people of Iraq - Obituaries - News |work=The Independent |date=2009-06-03 |access-date=2012-08-17}}</ref> After the Iraq war, all of his family, including his children, moved to [[Chicago]] where there is a sizeable [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] community, while he stayed in [[Baghdad]], where he ran a football academy for teenagers.<ref name=independent/> On 20 January 2006, the 71-year-old Baba was attacked in his home, where he was tied, blindfolded, beaten and then robbed.<ref name=independent/>

Ammo Baba died in [[Dohuk]] at the age of 74 on Wednesday, 27 May 2009, due to complications from [[diabetes]]. He was buried at [[Al-Shaab Stadium|Baghdad's largest stadium]] as he requested before his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8074225.stm |title=Middle East &#124; Funeral held for Iraq football legend Dawud |work=BBC News |date=2009-05-29 |access-date=2012-08-17 |archive-date=1 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601073709/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8074225.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Al-Rusafa Stadium under construction in the north of [[Baghdad]] was renamed to the [[Ammo Baba Stadium]] in his honour.

==Honours==
===Player===
'''Al-Haras Al-Malaki'''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030319214202/http://www.iraqsport.com/articles/07/Ammo_Baba.pdf The Football Poet.. Ammo Baba]</ref>
*[[Iraq Central FA Premier League]]: [[1954–55 Iraq FA Baghdad First Division|1954–55]], [[1955–56 Iraq FA Baghdad First Division|1955–56]]
*Army Cup: 1955, 1956

'''Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya'''
*[[Iraq Central FA Premier League]]: [[1957–58 Iraq Central FA First Division Cup|1957–58]], [[1961–62 Iraq Central FA First Division Cup|1961–62]], [[1963–64 Iraq Central FA First Division|1963–64]]
*[[Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup]]: [[1962 Iraq Central FA Altruism Cup|1962]], [[1964 Iraq Central FA Altruism Cup|1964]]
*Army Cup: 1959, 1964
*Authority Director Cup: 1964

'''Iraq Military'''
*Arab Military Games: 1965

'''Iraq'''
*[[Tripoli Fair Tournament]]: [[1967 Tripoli Fair Tournament|1967]]

===Player-manager===
'''Al-Athori'''
*[[Iraq Central FA Premier League]]: [[1959–60 Iraq Central FA First Division Cup|1959–60]]

===Manager===
'''Al-Tamim Province XI'''
*Republic Championship: 1976

'''Iraq'''
*[[Football at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]: [[Football at the 1982 Asian Games|1982]]
*[[Arab Cup]]: [[1988 Arab Cup|1988]]
*[[Arabian Gulf Cup]]: [[5th Arabian Gulf Cup|1979]], [[7th Arabian Gulf Cup|1984]], [[9th Arabian Gulf Cup|1988]]
*[[Merdeka Tournament]]: [[Merdeka Tournament|1981]]

'''Iraq Military'''
*[[World Military Cup]]: 1979

'''Al-Talaba'''
*[[Iraqi Premier League]]: [[1980–81 Iraqi National League|1980–81]]

'''Al-Rasheed'''
*[[Arab Club Champions Cup]]: [[1987 Arab Club Champions Cup|1987]]

'''Al-Zawraa'''
*[[Iraqi Premier League]]: [[1993–94 Iraqi National League|1993–94]]
*[[Iraq FA Cup]]: [[1993–94 Iraq FA Cup|1993–94]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/events99/millennium/diaries/ammo_baba.ram BBC video interview]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060128085210/http://www.aina.org/aol/bulls/stars/ammo_b/ammo.htm Assyrian Sports : Hall of Fame : Soccer]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8074225.stm BBC reporting his funeral]
* [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0719567955]
* {{cite web|publisher=Iraqsport |author=Mubarak, Hassanin |title=Ammo Baba ... the football poet |url=http://www.iraqsport.com/articles/07/Ammo_Baba.pdf |access-date=2003-03-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030319214202/http://www.iraqsport.com/articles/07/Ammo_Baba.pdf |archive-date=March 19, 2003 }}
* {{cite web|publisher=iraqsport.com |author=Hassanin Mubarak |title=Player Database |url=http://iraqsport.com/cgi-bin/db/db.cgi?db=players&uid=default&view_records=1&Index=A |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010618234645/http://iraqsport.com/cgi-bin/db/db.cgi?db=players&uid=default&view_records=1&Index=A |archive-date=June 18, 2001 }}

{{Asian Games men's football winning managers}}
{{Iraqi Premier League winning managers}}
{{Iraq Squad 1984 Summer Olympics}}
{{Iraq Squad 1988 Summer Olympics}}
{{Iraq national football team managers}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baba, Ammo}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:Iraqi Assyrian people]]
[[Category:Iraqi Christians]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Iraqi men's footballers]]
[[Category:Iraqi football managers]]
[[Category:Iraq national football team managers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Baghdad]]
[[Category:Assyrian sportspeople]]
[[Category:Al-Zawraa SC players]]
[[Category:Diabetes-related deaths]]
[[Category:Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya players]]
[[Category:Qatar SC managers]]
[[Category:Al-Shorta SC managers]]
[[Category:Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in Qatar]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Qatar]]
[[Category:Iraq men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Assyrian footballers]]
[[Category:Al-Zawraa SC managers]]
[[Category:Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya managers]]
[[Category:Iraqi expatriate football managers]]