Ali Maal (Dubai)
Historical moments that the masses of Iraq are currently living and have been living for many years in the hope that their country will host a regional or continental competition.
Iraq has been suffering from a sports embargo for many years, but with the opening of “Gulf 25” and the presence of President Infantino of the International Football Association (FIFA), “Mesopotamia” gained prominence to show that Iraqi sport and football . Once again, they will be able to withstand all challenges no matter how long it takes.
Basra, a city near the borders of Iran and Kuwait, was packed with 10,000 fans from the Gulf states. On its cornice, overlooking the Shatt al-Arab River, where the Tigris and Euphrates meet, the flags of the Emirates, Saudi Arabia. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Qatar and Iraq flew by as visitors sat and sipped coffee at nearby cafes.
Iraqi football has fought a long battle with the International Football Federation (FIFA) to lift the stadium ban since 2003, and Iraq has not hosted the tournament or any internationally recognized tournament since 1979 due to security concerns. conditions and the wars it produced.
The Iraqi national team hopes to recover its position in the organization of the Arab Gulf Cup after 44 years of waiting for the competition to return to its stadiums, with emphasis on the president of the federation, Adnan Darjal. Iraq’s return to hosting after security measures in the country hampered efforts to host the Iraqi Archive in 2007.
Perhaps these efforts recommended the construction of an entire sports city in the city of Basra, as Iraq’s desire to return to the sporting atmosphere of the Persian Gulf, and in 2013, Iraq’s largest international stadium was opened in this sports city. With capacity for 65,000 spectators, Iraq will host the Gulf Cup for the second time in history since the 1979 edition in Baghdad.
The “Gulf 25” championship faced many challenges in preparation, but received strong support from the government, which supported Iraq’s reconstruction efforts to host the Gulf Cup on its soil.
It was a pleasant return to the first day of Golfo 25, with a large audience, which was not expected at this level, and many do not take into account, especially on the first day, the technical level of the games. As Iraqi football is experiencing a historic return to the Gulf, and this is evident in the interaction with the fans… the best thing is that we will witness a successful and entertaining tournament in which Iraq will regain everyone’s confidence in their ability to organize and shelter.
The Iraqis didn’t stop for long when their team didn’t win the opening game, as their first passion was to show the organization’s success, and in Basra the essence of Iraqis was expressed in everyone’s affection, period. It is an essence that shows the positive reconciliation of Iraqis with themselves, away from political influence, and the first message delivered by Basra on inauguration day was, by all indications, successful in capturing the youth of the Gulf. And in a way that showed that sport can erase much of the negativity left over from politics.
And after the end of the first day there were statements from all sides praising the organizational capacity and openness of the Iraqis, something impressive in many of their paragraphs, such as Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaim, president of football in the United States Emirates . Emirates. The association confirmed that the return of the Persian Gulf Cup to Iraq confirms the position of the Gulf countries with Mesopotamia and their support for the return to the world map.
Mohsen Musabih, former football star from the Emirates, made a very important observation, saying: “The opening crowd draw is the most visible and it greatly overshadowed the technical level of the opening match and the joy of the fans was always. . than the players themselves.
Musabih said, “Sport is a very important medium for the Iraqi masses and plays an important role in making people happy, so we hope this Gulf edition will be special so that the world can watch Iraqi sports again from a positive perspective. … It pushes him forward instead of blocking and boxing him, and Infantino’s presence is a great proof of that.” The International Federation convinced him”.
The Governor of Basra, Asad al-Eidan, appeared after the first day and expressed his satisfaction with the event, saying: “The start shows that Basra is capable of the perfect organization we are trying to achieve.” Cruelty and absence.
Former international Karim Saddam said Iraq’s return to the tournament would reflect its return to the Arab circuit via the Gulf Cup.