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Rabat – Iraq head coach Graham Arnold has requested that his team’s inter-continental playoff to be held on March 31 in Mexico be postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The country’s airspace is currently closed as drone and missile strikes continue to sow instability across the region. The middle eastern conflict has also impacted Arnold’s team’s ability to prepare for their upcoming match. The Iraq Football Federation has stated that Arnold, “is unable to leave the United Arab Emirates” due to similar air space and travel restrictions.
Iraqi airspace is not scheduled to open until April 1st, the day after the scheduled fixture between Iraq and either Bolivia or Suriname, the winner of which will earn a coveted FIA World Cup slot.
Further complicating the situation is that many players have been unable to obtain visas due to the escalating war. “Several embassies remain closed at the present time, preventing several professional players, technical and medical staff members from obtaining entry visas to Mexico,” the federation stated.
Mexico, which does not have an embassy in Iraq, has stated that their embassy in the United Arab Emirates has been in contact with the Iraqi federation. The country also said that the visas could be processed in any European country.
Iraq’s ‘biggest game in 40 years’
Arnold issued his request to FIFA in an interview with AAP, stressing: “Please help us with this game because right now we are struggling to get our players out of the country of Iraq.”
The Iraq coach believes the best option would be to postpone the game until June and move the match location to the United States. “In my opinion, if FIFA were to delay the game, it gives us time to prepare properly,” Arnold stated in his AAP interview. “Let Bolivia play Suriname this month and then a week before the World Cup, we play the winner in the U.S. — the winner of that game stays on and the loser goes home.”
Arnold also argued that postponing would allow FIFA more time to decide what to do with Iran should they decide to withdraw. “If Iran withdraws, we go into the World Cup, and it gives the UAE, who we beat in qualifying, the chance to prepare for either Bolivia or Suriname,” he said.
FIFA has not yet responded to Arnold’s request. The Iraqi federation is meanwhile eagerly waiting for a response so they can attend what Arnold described as “The country’s biggest game in 40 years.”
If Iraq beats Suriname or Bolivia in the intercontinental playoff it will be the first time the country has qualified for the World Cup since 1986.
