Syria’s Latakia stadium joins long list of region’s politically abused soccer pitches

Syrian forces detain protesters in Latakia’s stadium (source France 24 /wires)

By James M. Dorsey

Syrian president Bashar al Assad has highlighted the symbolic role of soccer pitches in the Middle East and North Africa with the herding this week of hundreds, if not thousands, of anti-government protesters into the stadium of the country’s main port city o…