Ali, a jubilant 24-year-old, is finally in the stands himself for an international football match in Iraq — the first to be held in the country in years. “Before, I watched these matches on TV. Today I’m at the stadium,” says Ali, wearing an Air Force Club jersey and a flag bearing the team’s falcon … Read more
After a years-long absence predominantly due to security concerns, international football will return to Iraq when the country hosts a second-round match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup. Defending Cup champions Air Force Club and Al-Zawraa — both Iraqi teams — will face off at Franso Hariri Stadium in the autonomous Kurdish region’s capital … Read more
Kadhim Flayeh taps three fingers on his watch. It’s the sign for kick-off: one of Iraq’s top football coaches has lost his voice. Cancer forced the 57-year-old to have his larynx removed last year, but it did not stop him coaching Baghdad’s Air Force Club youth team. Sometimes he communicates using an electro-larynx, a small … Read more