Tribune News Network
Doha
Known for its regional vibrancy and feisty contests, the Arabian Gulf Cup will mark its 25th edition with the start at the Basra International Stadium in Iraq on Friday.
The occasion also marks the return of the celebrated tournament to Iraq, 44 years after it hosted the inaugural Arabian Gulf Cup in 1979.
The tournament will be played at two venues: Basra International Stadium and the Al Minaa Olympic Stadium. The action starts with the host nation’s clash against Oman on Friday January 6 and ends with the final on January 19.
The kick off will be preceded by an opening ceremony to be attended by top football officials and dignitaries from the Gulf Cooperation Council nations.
Following the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, football fever has now transcended Iraq with murals and billboards adorning the streets of Basra and Iraqi authorities scrapping visa fees for fans entering Iraq for the competition. The move seeks to attract fans from across the Gulf region, particularly Kuwait, whose border with Iraq lies less than 50 kilometres from Basra. Ninety percent of the tickets have been sold electronically, with Iraq Football Association (IFA) promising an opening ceremony that will showcase Iraq’s rich history.
Eight teams from West Asia, including two-time champions Qatar, are split into two groups with the tournament to be played at two venues: Basra International Stadium and the new 30,000-seater Al Minaa Olympic Stadium. Today, Iraq open the championship when they take on Oman, followed by Yemen facing Saudi Arabia in Group A matches. Qatar, which has sent a young team after the World Cup debacle at home, will start their campaign against 10-time winners Kuwait tomorrow, with defending champions Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates the other teams in Group B.
Iraq wants to take a leaf out of Qatar’s successful hosting of the World Cup in November and December. "Sports has become one of the most important activities in the world… of transmitting cultures and civilisations through hosting tournaments and competitions, and this is what we witnessed in Qatar’s organisation of the 2022 World Cup,” head of the competitions committee of the IFA Haider Aufi told the local media.
"It is a step forward to retain Iraq’s normal position in the fields of sport, culture and society,” added Basra Governor Asaad Al Eidani. "It is a message to the whole world that we are capable.”
The Iraqi ministry of transport announced in late December that free transportation for the Gulf Cup fans in Basra, while the country’s Prime Minister Mohamed Shia’ Al Sudani visited the tournament city to check on the preparations instructing officials to "spare no effort’ in hosting the regional competition.
On the pitch, the Lions of Mesopotamia will be eyeing their third title. The team had a disappointing final round of World Cup qualification last year and there have been a string of coaches who have come and gone.
Jesus Casas – who worked as an assistant coach for Spain under Luis Enrique between 2018 and 2022 – is the latest to don the managerial hat for Iraq. Casas has called up players with plenty of experience in Hussein Ali, Dhurgam Ismail, Amjad Attwad and Gothenburg midfielder Amir al-Ammari.
"I can sense the importance of the Gulf Cup from the enthusiastic interest of the Iraqi fans,” Casas said yesterday. "We will spare no effort to win the title. We are proud to play in front of the fans and this will help us greatly. We hope that we will be as ambitious as the fans,” the 49-year-old added.
Oman’s Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic called the tournament a ‘mini World Cup for Gulf teams. "We go into the tournament with very high ambitions. There are strong teams competing here, especially Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Oman has a young team and the tournament is a good opportunity to give them experience in facing strong teams, to build the future of Omani football,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bahrain arrive in Iraq as defending champions. The win over Saudi Arabia in 2019 will never be forgotten and also the team reached the last 16 of the Asian Cup in the same year when they were narrowly defeated by South Korea.
Coach Helio Sousa has been in place for almost four years and, despite a disappointing World Cup qualification campaign, the team is settled, full of experience and more inventive on the ball than many of their neighbours. After showing that they can upset bigger nations previousl, Bahrain cannot be counted out.