Printer-friendly VersionBy Zakaria Muhammed
The Kurdish Globe
For the upcoming VIVA matches (provincial championships), which will be held in Italy on June 22nd , Emad Qader, the coach of the Kurdistan soccer team, named 22 players to commence training at their camp from Saturday.
Salam Husen, the secretary of the Kurdistan Football Association, told The Kurdish Globe that the Kurdistan national football team eventually became a participant at the VIVA World Cup, after several attempt which saw them attend meetings with the New Federation Board in June 2006 and again in 2008.
"Emad Qader, the coach of the Kurdistan team, and his assistant, Dilshad Marouf, have been given the green light to select the best footballers in Kurdistan for the event." Said Husen
The players who have been summoned to the Kurdistan squad are Ghfoor Othman, Muhammad Hama-Khan, Karzan Abdullah, Hardy Syamand, Bestoon Akram of Broosk Club, Abdulhaq Esmael, Sabah Hasib, Prsyar Raza, Karsaz Muhammad of New Sirwan Club, Sardar Adel, Ali Aziz, Ahmed Muhammad of Ararat Club, Ibrahim Abbas, Choman Omer of Sawra Club, Mustafa Kamil, Burhan Karim from Suleimani Club, Swash Qadir, Ramzy Salih of Kirkuk Club, Ahmed Shukur of Erbil Club, Amanj Omer of Peshmarga Club, Farhad Sadiq of Peris Club, and Walid Muhammad of Handren Club.
The selection of the players came after the Kurdistan league ended last week, where the league champions were decided and the accolades of best player, best goalkeeper, and leagues top scorer were officially chosen.
"The selection of these 22 players for the national team was based on their performance level, and the techniques they showed in the Kurdistan league," stated Marouf, whose team (Broosk Club) won the Kurdistan league title a few days ago.
When questioned about the competency levels of the current team and his expectation of progress, Marouf stated that the players were trustworthy and reliable and he has complete faith that the players could follow the instruction of the coaches on the field at all times.
According to Marouf, the coach has tried to form a new squad, one that is largely different from previous squads announced with the exception of three players (Ghafoor Othman, Muhammad Hamakhan and Ali Aziz) whose positions, Marouf feels, can not be filled by others.
Sport analysts believe that participation for the second time will make the team adapt more quickly to the environment and ensure they play as if they are at home.
"I hope we can play as a group, far from utilizing individual talents alone, since soccer is a team game and we need a strong team-spirit to succeed," said Muhammed Hamakhan, dubbed as the fairest player in the land, after receiving a single yellow card in only two years.
It is evident to see why, as Hamakhan has respect for the referees and as captain of his team never stands against their decisions and believes captains should be role model for the other players.
Speaking after being selected again for the newly formed Kurdish national team, Ghafoor Othman, who became the best goalkeeper in Kurdistan League for the fourth time, said "I feel very pleased to see myself in the setup again. It is a fair selection with players represented from clubs all over Kurdistan,"
Othman highlighted that the national team could have selected other skilled footballers from the Hewler and Duhok football clubs but due to their commitments in the Iraqi league they were prevented from joining the squad.
The VIVA World Cup is an international competition, held every two years, and is organized by the New Federation Board, an umbrella association for nations unaffiliated with FIFA.
The teams taking part in the tournament include Padania (the host), Sampi, Provence, Occitania, Gozo, and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
The Kurdistan Region team participated in the last tournament and secured third place.