FIFA in Basra to review ban on Iraq hosting international football matches
FIFA in Basra to review ban on Iraq hosting international football matches
The team of FIFA representatives headed to Basra on Monday and will consider the city's 'preparedness', plus 'the security situation for various Iraqi cities', Iraq's sports minister explained.
2 min read
Basra is home to Iraq's national side's ground [Getty]
World football governing body sent representatives to the major Iraqi port city of on Monday to see if international matches can be held there again.
has not been allowed toÌýhostÌýsuch games sinceÌý erupted in 2019,Ìý°®Âþµº's Arabic sister service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported.
The FIFA team's visit to theÌýsouthern cityÌýfollowedÌýa request fromÌýIraqi Youth and Sports MinisterÌý, who also heads the IraqiÌýFootball Association, to FIFA chief Ìýfor a review of conditions.
Ìý
The Iraqi minister explained: "The purpose of the committee's visit to Basra is to determine the preparedness of the stadiums and the rest of the city's facilities, in addition to assessing the security situation for variousÌýIraqi cities."
This will mean the committee "submitting its final report to the international federation [FIFA] after the completion of its visit. The committee consists of three individuals", Dirjal continued.
The FIFA team will spend four days in the country and then decide whether to reverse the ban.
Iraq is set to play key matches in the coming weeks against countries including Lebanon and the UAE in its campaign to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA has repeatedly enforced restrictions on Iraq's ability to hold international football matches, due to the security situation in the country.
In 2018, Iraq hosted its first international clubÌý in Karbala.
Ìý
