Iraq coach urges FIFA to postpone world cup playoff amid Iran war
The Iraqi squad faces major challenges ahead of their winner-takes-all match against either Suriname or Bolivia, set for March 31 in Monterrey, Mexico
Iraq's head coach, Graham Arnold, has appealed to FIFA to postpone his team's intercontinental World Cup playoff due to the disruptions caused by the escalating war in Iran.
The Iraqi squad faces major challenges ahead of their winner-takes-all match against either Suriname or Bolivia, set for March 31 in Monterrey, Mexico.
With Iraqi airspace closed until April 1, Arnold's team, mostly made up of domestic league players, cannot fully assemble. Many players are also unable to secure visas for Mexico because of embassy closures, while Arnold himself is stuck in the United Arab Emirates amid the conflict.
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"Please help us with this game because right now we are struggling to get our players out of Iraq," Arnold, a former Australian national team coach, told the Australian Associated Press.
The turmoil has already forced the cancellation of a planned training camp in Houston. Arnold said relying only on overseas-based players is not a viable solution. "It wouldn't be our best team, and we need our best squad for the country's biggest game in 40 years," he said.
Arnold has suggested a strategic delay: let Suriname and Bolivia play their preliminary match this month, but postpone Iraq's final playoff until a week before the World Cup starts.
"This would give us time to prepare properly and allow FIFA to see how the situation with Iran develops," he said. "If Iran withdraws, we go to the World Cup, and it also gives the UAE, who we beat in qualifying, time to prepare for either Bolivia or Suriname."
Iraq Football Association president Adnan Dirjal is reportedly working tirelessly to make the World Cup dream a reality, and Arnold stressed that a quick decision from FIFA is crucial.
