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Iraq coach Graham Arnold pleaded with FIFA on Monday to postpone his team’s intercontinental playoff for the World Cup because many of his players and backroom staff are stranded by the growing Iran war.
The Iraqis are due to face either Suriname or Bolivia on March 31 in the Mexican city of Monterrey for a place in the World Cup finals, but with Iraqi airspace closed until April 1, Arnold’s squad is unable to gather or travel.
“If the game goes ahead in Mexico we have the difficulties of getting out of Baghdad,” Arnold, an Australian, told CNN.
“About 60% of my players play in Iraq, all my backroom staff live in Iraq, all my medical staff live in Qatar and we’re having trouble getting Mexican visas at this moment,” he added.
Arnold said he had already been forced to cancel a training camp in the United States.
“That has all been scrapped now, because we can’t get out of Baghdad,” he said.
“FIFA need to obviously make a quick decision on this because it is a bit unfair at this moment, with what we would have to go through.”
He suggested that Suriname and Bolivia could go ahead with their playoff in Monterrey on March 26 and the winner of that game could play Iraq in the United States just before the World Cup, which kicks off on June 11.
“Suriname could always play Bolivia if we can’t get there, and we could always play the winner just before the World Cup and (that) lets us prepare properly and do everything required to be successful,” Arnold said.
“Bolivia and Suriname can play in March, they’ve got no complications with flights or anything, they can get there straight away and we could play the winner
“The winner stays and plays the World Cup and the loser goes home.”
Arnold said the Iraqi football authorities were in close contact with FIFA, but he admitted the situation was taking its toll.
“It’s one step at a time, it’s stressful, (I’ve had) a lot of sleepless nights worrying about getting that planning right,” he said.
An Iraqi source told AFP the national federation had asked for the change.
“Iraq’s request came due to the inability of the delegation to travel from the capital Baghdad,” they said.
“As a result of the closure of airspace and the security risks currently affecting the region,” they added.