MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Three gunmen opened fire inside a cafe that housed the football club’s fan association in the Shiite Iraqi city of Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, on Friday.
"Real Madrid C. F. deeply regrets the terrible attack in Iraq which today saw 16 members of a Real Madrid supporters club lose their lives and which has also left over 20 injured. The club expresses its great sadness and offers its regards and condolences to the families and friends of the victims," the statement issued on Friday reads.
The club added that its players would wear black armbands during the away game against Deportivo de La Coruna "as a sign of their mourning and respect."
Balad houses the Iraqi air force base that has been handed back by the US military in 2011. Daesh, a group outlawed in Russia, the United States and many other countries, seized vast territories in Iraq and Syria.
