<p><b> by Jonathan Sanger</b></p>This man lost his leg in a bombing by the Syrian Army. Now coaches a soccer club.<p>A group calling itself the Syrian Authority for Sport and Youth is organizing athletics in Northern Syria. It says it operates a total of 140 clubs, playing 12 different sports — all inside rebel-controlled areas that are still resisting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. </p>Fans flock to the games as a diversion from the war, which has claimed 400,000 lives over six years, according to estimates — and still rages on. </p>The war has allowed the Islamic State to flourish, but you won’t find any soccer leagues in territories controlled by the terror group: It bans sports, along with many other activities it deems too ‘Western.’ </p></p><br /> <p>The post Soccer Clubs Flourish In Syria’s Rebel-Controlled Territories</a> appeared first on Vocativ</a>.</p>
