Iraq's Red Turbulence... Fans are angry over rumors of leakage of the selection list for the Korean match and involvement in the selection list for vice chairman
Iraq's Red Turbulence... Fans are angry over rumors of leakage of the selection list for the Korean match and involvement in the selection list for vice chairman
Blog Article
The Iraqi national soccer team has been mired in controversy over the leak of its roster after suffering a crushing defeat against Korea. Fans were also furious over allegations that former Iraqi soccer hero Eunice Mahmoud was involved in the selection of its roster.
Iraq, led by coach Arnold, was completely defeated 0-2 at the home match of Asian Group B in the ninth round of the 2026 FIFA U.S.-North Korea World Cup at Basra National Stadium in the early morning (Korea time). Iraq collapsed by losing points to Kim Jin-kyu in the 18th minute of the second half and Oh Hyun-kyu in the 37th minute of the second half.
Iraq, which remained flat at 12 points due to the defeat, was arithmetically unable to enter the second place of the group given tickets to the World Cup finals due to the victory of Jordan (16 points), who won 3-0 away to Oman in the same round.
Middle East media Ashurak al-Wasat reported that Iraqi people's anger exploded after the Korean War, and in particular, they are directly criticizing Vice Chairman Mahmoud's allegations of tyranny.
According to the report, fan Rasul Abdul Amir, who watched the game in person at Basra National Stadium, said, "Vice-Chairman Eunice Mahmood is intervening in the starting list. He says he doesn't intervene in the media, but from what I've heard directly from reliable sportspeople and reporters, he's definitely intervening," he claimed.
Another fan, Kais Mohsen, pointed out, "The responsibility for this defeat lies entirely with the Iraqi Football Association, especially its executives, including Chairman Adnan Darzal, Vice Chairman Eunice Mahmoud, and Ali Zabar," adding, "They have no strategy or vision for the future, and they must disband the association and hold new elections right away."
"Ali al-Hamadi, who plays for the English Championship, made a mistake that is hard to see even in a local soccer community. They have no idea how heavy the national team is," he said.
There is a good reason for Amir's claim mentioned earlier. In fact, local Iraqi soccer media based on social media, such as "Iraqstra," posted three or four hours before kickoff, introducing Iraq's starting list for the Korean match, and it was actually right. Usually, the starting list is disclosed 90 minutes before the game, but the list of Iraq came out much earlier. For this reason, fans suspected the leakage of the starting list and pointed out Vice President Mahmoud, who has a great influence on the national team.
Vice Chairman Mahmoud was a star representing Iraq when he was active, and he was famous as a top-class striker not only in the Middle East but also in Asia. He is also well known to Korean fans as he is a legendary striker who gave Iraq the trophy at the 2007 AFC Southeast Asian Cup. 바카라
Iraqi fans don't have to be completely hopeless because they still have a chance to advance to the World Cup finals, but Iraqi fans who watched Ali al-Hamadi's absurd exit in the 22nd minute of the first half and the match against Korea, which was completely overwhelmed, are turning their expectations into anger. Iraq is in chaos.