A complete disgrace. Osama has been overlooked by the national team for a very long time, but this is actually insulting that a guy who can't get a game in the English 4th division is called over a player who was Man of the match in 2 out of 4 games in the Portuguese top division with 2 goals and 2 assists. What more does Osama need to do to get a call up? It's absolutely insane the level of stupidity and corruption there is in Iraq as a whole.
Match against Kuwait ended in a draw.. 2-2 It was a decent game, but more time is needed for the coach to figure out the right players and system. We have the players but we need to gain stability. The more friendlies we can get the better. I have a feeling we can do something this time around.
Apparently tomorrow the Iraq FA is going to make it official in us participating in the friendly tournament with Saudi, Brazil, and Argentina.
Guys, I've been busy for a while but still following Iraqi football ofcourse. There are reasons to be optimistic! NT coach Katanec is doing a good job by following all the players including expats. His touches were visible in the last game against Saudi Arabia. Ban is lifted and will be an important factor in the World Cup qualifiers. Age fraud is being rooted out. Our youth teams are clean now. Olympic team has completely changed as a result of the age fraud measures. A lot of expats. For the first time since 2014, Iraq will play in the AFC Champions League! Zawraa has a group stage spot, and Jawiya will play in the playoffs. Good signs Hopefully we will be able to do something at the Asian Cup, and WCQ.
Iraq 0-0 Bolivia For the first time since I've started following Iraqi football, I have seen us pressing for 90 mins. We completely dominated the game. Passing was fluid, team play was amazing. I think it's time for Katanec to drop the weak links and finalize the list. The likes of Hameed, Natiq and Mhawi should be dropped. No more risky factors.
28 man squad revealed for the Asian Cup. Added: Fahad Talib, Sameh Saeed, Ahmed Abdul-Ridha, Ayman Hussein, Alaa Abbas Dropped: Raad Fanar, Hussam Kadhim, Brwa Nouri, Mazen, Saad Abdul-Amir, Wissam Saadoun
Yes. Brwa made a mistake by moving to Bali United, and he barely played with the NT under Katanec. Saad was injured and is declining for a while now.
Breaking: Mahdi Kamil is dropped from the NT, Mohammed Dawood is his replacement. Good choice. We already have enough options at centre midfield.
A strong character, discipline and work ethic are very important for him. He is with us for 3 months now but his touches on the team are clear. I'm optimistic about our chances at the Asian Cup and the WCQ's.