Bloemfontein, South Africa - As the Iraqi national anthem played ahead of Wednesday's Group A contest with international heavyweights Spain, a group of brightly coloured balloons was released. It carried a small version of the red, white and black Iraqi national flag high into the air and out of the stadium.

The hundred or so supporters of the Iraq national team gathered in one section of Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium cheered the package as it sailed, and they rarely stopped dancing, waving flags and blowing horns for the rest of the match despite their team's narrow 1-0 defeat to the European champions.

In the group were Iraqis but also many other Arabs as well as a few committed South Africans, who could not chant in Arabic, but had their own song: "Go Iraq! Go Iraqi people!"

When asked what it meant for Iraq and its people to be at the Confederations Cup and competing against the number one team in the world, Hassan Mustapha, a 33-year- old who came from Baghdad for the tournament, said "The team brings joy to the people when they play well, and they show that Iraqis can play good football against the best.

"I hope they continue on this well," he said at half-time when the score was 0-0. "And even if we lose, we have a chance to keep going into the semi-finals."

A 12-year-old Iraqi girl, Zahara Gomran, was at the match with her family, having left her school exams early to attend.

"This is my first time seeing the national team play," she revealed with a smile. "I feel so proud of my country right now."

A Jordanian graphic designer living in South Africa Mohammed Sabah, 25, said that the Arab community was happy to come out to support the war-torn country.

"We are all Arabs, so we love each other," he said. "Iraq is my neighbour. Here you will see Jordanians, Palestinians and Egyptians all cheering. We are proud of them no matter that we aren't from Iraq."

It was a common theme among the supporters, who wore white shirts and hats and waved signs.

"We are Arabs, so we have one feeling and one heart," said Farooq Alnaemi, an Egyptian who lives in Johannesburg and stayed in Bloemfontein after Egypt's loss to Brazil earlier in the week. "We support them, and they support us. And we support Bafana Bafana now because they are here joining us."

Ibrahim Abdul, a Jordanian who lives in Pretoria, said that the success of the Iraqi national team - they won the 2007 Asian Championship to qualify for the Confederations Cup - has become a rallying point because of all the bad news from the country.

"I support them because they are also from the Middle East, yes, but also because they need to be supported," he said. "Even with all the problems that have happened in Iraq, the team keeps their spirit and plays well. That is something to be proud of."

For the South Africans in the group, there was an ulterior motive besides the desire to cheer for the underdog.

"Yes, we support them because nobody thinks they can win," South African Chris Samuels from Cape Town said at half-time. "But we also want them to get points from Spain, so that it helps Bafana Bafana get out of the group."(dpa)