Iraq
View of the al-Minaa stadium in Iraq's southern city of Basra on December 20, 2022. Photo: Hussein Faleh/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday visited the southern city of Basra, reviewing the service situation in the province, including the preparations for the upcoming Arabian Gulf Cup football tournament, and stressing the need to “spare no effort” in hosting the regional competition.
The city of Basra is set to host the 25th Gulf Cup from January 6 to January 19, 2023. The tournament was initially set to take place in December 2022, but was postponed as it was believed to be scheduled too close to the World Cup in Qatar.
“His Excellency [Sudani] made it clear that Basra is on the verge of an important event, the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup. His Excellency emphasized the need to spare no effort to present Iraq in this sporting event in the best way that befits its name and status,” read a statement from the premier’s office on Sunday.
Sudani also announced that all the matches of the tournament will be broadcasted for free.
Basra had been selected to host three previous editions of the Gulf Cup since 2010 but the venue was changed each time due to concerns that Iraq was not safe enough. The only time Iraq hosted the Gulf Cup was in 1979, from which the Iraqi team emerged victorious.
The matches will be played in Basra International Stadium, which has a capacity of 65,000 people, as well as al-Minaa Stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000 people.
Head Coach Jesus Casas on Saturday announced Iraq’s 23-man squad for the upcoming eight-team tournament. The Iraqi national team is Casas’ first gig as senior head coach. He was previously a scout and match analyst at FC Barcelona, and an assistant to former Spain manager Luis Enrique from 2018 to 2022.
Despite the country’s constant state of political instability and disunity, the Iraqi population’s special connection to the sport of football has managed to unify the people at times of major regional and international tournaments, coming to the support of the national team regardless of their humble results.
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