The Iraqi team resumes training before facing the Emirates
The players of the Iraqi national team resumed their training yesterday evening, Sunday, at Al-Shaab Stadium, after they were given a rest day by the technical staff.
23 players participated in the training: Jalal Hassan, Muhammad Hamid, Delovan Mahdi, Muhammad Shaker, Ahmed Ibrahim, Abbas Qassem, Hassan Abdel-Karim, Hassan Raed, Ibrahim Bayesh, Mustafa Muhammad Jabr, Muhammad Ali Aboud, Saad Abdul-Amir, Sherko Karim. , Muhannad Abdel Rahim, Manaf Younis, Dergham Ismail, Amjad Atwan, Mustafa Nazim, Bashar Rassan, Ayman Hussein, Ali Fayez, Alaa Abbas, Ahmed Farhan.
Saad Natiq did not participate in the training, as the national team doctor (Abdul Karim Al-Saffar) confirmed that the player suffers from an injury to the connective muscle and will undergo physiotherapy and is under follow-up.
On the other hand, Ali Al Hammadi and Zidan Iqbal will join at dawn, while Justin Meram will join this afternoon, and it is hoped that they will participate in today’s training in addition to Hussein Ali, while Muhannad Jaaz will arrive today at a late hour.
And the coach of the national team, Abdul Ghani Shahd, explained: The current period, with the changes that have occurred in changing the stadium of the match, and the talk about these matters, we are far from them and we are not a party to them, and our main concern is to focus on the technical side in order to prepare the team and its readiness for the important and crucial Emirates match.
Shahd did not hide the extent of the confusion that occurred in a critical and narrow period, even from the administrative side, in reference to the delay in the arrival of the entry visa to Saudi Arabia by the Saudi side, not to mention the prior planning for the arrival of all players to Baghdad, including the professionals, and we do not yet know the official departure date. Will it be the day before or the same day as the match day?
Shahd added: We may use the services of one of the players and add them to the list of national teams after the critical family situation that the player Hassan is going through, with the possibility of his apology for being with the national team, and he may be compensated with another player in the coming hours, and the guards coach, Ahmed Jassem, indicated that the four guards are fully prepared, and happy with the return of goalkeeper Mohamed Hamid again to defend the national team net. As for goalkeeper Mohamed Saleh, during the camp period, he was very committed in the morning and evening training units that he participated in, but we are forced to choose the final list of four guards, and we were able to create a competitive atmosphere and gave the goalkeeper an opportunity to be with us, and we preferred him to be present at the present time with his Air Force team, especially after the injury and the surgical operation of Fahd Talib. The team is waiting for an Asian participation that requires stability in the goalkeeping position.
Jassem expected that he would be in favor of a good future, especially as he coexisted with the atmosphere of an international match and intense training that would give him high confidence.
It is hoped that the delegation of the national team will leave the capital, Riyadh, tomorrow, Tuesday, in the event of the arrival of the entry visa (Visa) amid rapid changes in the past days, which witnessed the decision of the International and Asian Federations to transfer the match between Iraq and the Emirates to a neutral stadium, and the issue is still under official correspondence by The Iraqi Federation with the International and Asian Federations in order to reverse the decision that lacked equality, justice and the principle of equal opportunities.
Source.. Iraqi Football Association