Iraqi Reporters Threaten National Team Coach for Being Eliminated in Round of 16
After Iraq was eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup,
Iraqi reporters threatened their national team coach and were banned from covering the remainder of the tournament and all future AFC tournaments.
According to Reuters, Iraqi reporters spoke about their national team’s coach Jesus Karas (Spain) at a press conference held immediately after Iraq was eliminated by a score of 2-3 in the round of 16 of the Asian Cup against Jordan held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on the 29th.
He approached and made threatening remarks, including yelling and pointing. 바카라사이트
As a result, some of the reporters were dragged away by security guards.
AFC said on its website on the 30th (local time), “We are deeply disappointed by the incident that occurred at the press conference after the round of 16 match between Iraq and Jordan,” and added,
“We will not cover the 2023 Asian Cup as well as future AFC-hosted competitions against those involved in the act.”
“A decision has been made to ban it,” he announced.
The Iraqi Football Association also said, “We point out the disgusting behavior toward Coach Karas.”
In this game, Iraq turned the tide to 2-1 with star Ayman Hussein scoring in the 31st minute of the second half.
However, Hussein received a yellow card for ‘excessive celebration’,
which continued three times, including walking and eating grass, and was sent off due to accumulated warnings.
Iraq, which was outnumbered, ended up losing 2-3 when Jordan scored consecutive goals in extra time in the second half.
Meanwhile, Australian referee Alireza Pagani, who gave Hussein an additional yellow card and sent him off in the game,
was attacked online immediately after the game.
Thousands of malicious comments were posted on social media toward referee Pagani,
who was born in Iran, and his detailed personal information was disclosed without permission.
Some people even petitioned FIFA to stop him from refereeing.
In response, AFC said, “We strongly condemn threats, abuse, and disclosure of personal information toward tournament participants, including referees and players,” and criticized,
“Such actions are against the spirit of fair play and are not respectful of the Asian soccer community.”
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