Request to postpone the World Cup PO for the 'unprecedented situation' "FIFA, please... Iraqi coach's desperate appeal for player's life is in danger

*This content was translated by AI.

The unprecedented World Cup playoff (PO) postponement request occurred. The Iraqi national soccer team, which is about to advance to the finals for the first time in 40 years, officially asked FIFA for help as it became impossible to move the team in the aftermath of the war between neighboring countries Iran and the United States.

Multiple media outlets such as the British 'Guardian' and 'ESPN' reported on the 9th (Korea Standard Time) that "Iraq's national soccer team coach Graham Arnold urgently asked FIFA to reschedule the World Cup PO due to military conflicts in the Middle East."

Currently, Iraq is scheduled to play a single match in Monterrey, Mexico, for one ticket to South America's Suriname or Bolivia.

However, due to the recent chaotic situation in the Middle East, the game has reached the point where it cannot be played. Iraq's transport ministry shut down its airspace entirely during the war. The opening of the airspace is scheduled for the day after the game.

According to ESPN, Arnold said in an interview while receiving an emergency alert from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), "It is impossible to even bring Iraqi domestic players and coaching staff out of the country," adding, "I earnestly ask FIFA." Please delay this game so that Iraq can play."

According to an analysis of local reports, 60% of the main players of the Iraqi national team are currently affiliated with their own leagues. Major staff, including interpreter Ali Abbas, are also tied up in Baghdad. Some domestic league games were directly hit by missile attacks near Erbil, where the U.S. military base is located.

In particular, the poor alternative proposed by FIFA worsened the situation. According to the 'Guardian', FIFA proposed that the Iraqi team travel by land from Baghdad to Istanbul, Turkey, for as many as 25 hours before flying to Mexico. However, this route is known to be a dangerous area where Iranian drone attacks continue. Coach Arnold immediately rejected FIFA's offer, saying, "We cannot allow such land movement with the lives of the players as collateral."

To make matters worse, the team is not even getting Mexican and U.S. visas. Pre-training camp scheduled in Houston has already been canceled. The International Footballers Association (FIFpro) also stressed that "the safety of players is the top priority," and that "FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) should take an extremely safe approach."

Even coach Arnold offered a concrete solution. He suggested, "There is a way to have Bolivia and Suriname play first, and Iraq and the winner face off in the United States a week before the opening of the World Cup."

"If Iran is expelled or withdrawn from the World Cup due to the war, there is a possibility that Iraq will go straight ahead depending on the AFC qualifying ranking," he said. "In that case, the UAE, which we beat in the qualifying round, will have time to prepare for the playoffs."

Adnan Dirzal, president of the Iraqi Football Association, is also continuing negotiations with FIFA to realize the dream of Iraq's first people in 40 years. Arnold, who led Australia in 2022 and wrote the World Cup Round of 16, said, "The football passion of the Iraqi people is crazy. He expressed his urgency, saying, "I must play at my best to relieve the 40-year-old resentment."

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*This content was translated by AI.