Iraq Implodes

[trimster]

Sad times for the Iraq football team, reigning Asian champions. After finishing only third in their first round Asian World Cup qualifying group, the team is reported to have been "disbanded" and the coach Adnan Hamad sacked.

Iraq finished behind Australia and Qatar. Despite looking a better team than Qatar (at least in the matches against Australia), Iraq managed to lose twice to Qatar.... amidst rumours of match fixing. Many of the Iraqi players are based in Qatar....

[Rory Bunk]

Iraq Implodes

It was also an an absolute disgrace that Qatar weren't penalised in any way for fielding an ineligible player in their 1sg game with Iraq.

The president of the Asian Football Federation is Qatari, incidentally.

Still, as an Aussie I'm glad to have Qatar as potential opponents rather than Iraq, who definitely had our measure.

The draw for the next stage is tonight, right?

[trimster]

Iraq Implodes

Yes, I think the next round draw is tonight, or within the next couple of days, anyway.

FIFA dismissed Iraq's appeal about the illegal Qatari player- apparently he had either already reprsesented Brazil, or was not naturalised at the time they played him. They banned Qatar from playing him in future, but didn't penalise them in any way. Some of the shennanigans that go on in Asia are a big dodgy....

[Uncle Ethan]

Iraq Implodes

I thought Iraq were the best team in the group.

They out played Australia for long periods in both games.

[trimster]

Iraq Implodes

Our performance wasn't very inspired, was it? How are we going to go against stronger opponents in the second stage?

[Rory Bunk]

Iraq Implodes

I agree with that(edit: nogoalsnoglory's assessment of Iraq as having edged the tie). I do think we did have enough attacking players missing to for once justify our complaints about missing players. That last half hour against Iraq was gruesome. I can only imagine the paroxysms of rage which would someone like Fozzie would have been experiencing.

[Jorge Porbillas]

Iraq Implodes

Rory Bunk wrote:

It was also an an absolute disgrace that Qatar weren't penalised in any way for fielding an ineligible player in their 1sg game with Iraq.

The president of the Asian Football Federation is Qatari, incidentally.

Blimey! What are the details here - I hadn't heard any of this.

[Uncle Ethan]

Iraq Implodes

Qatar fudged the paperwork on their latest newly-hatched national star and got away with it. Handy precedent for our non-league chums there perhaps.

It was strange group. China were dire. Qatar were awful against Australia both times and still nearly scored. Iraq were far more inventive but couldn't finish a fish supper.

Australia are in trouble. The short A-League season is rooting the development of young home based players. When po-faced Pim made this accurate assessment himself a few weeks into the job, he made himself the enemies who will bring him down (just wait and see).

The golden genenration is on their zimmer frames. Now sit down OTF because this will be shock, but if it hadn't been for Harry Kewell (and Mark Schwarzer) Australia wouldn't have made it through.

China had a penalty to win in at home in the last minute and if all Iraqis shot like their football team the Americans wouldn't have suffered a casualty.

Not for nothing was Pim Po desperately begging Mark Viduka to play - after his injury was confirmed.

Australia has no natural left back, Luke Wilkshire - Luke FUCKING Wilkshire - still gets in the team on the right and apart from turning Jason Culina into a decentish holding midfielder nothing else has happened. At. All.

Scott McDonald playing as a lone striker is like asking Gimli son of Gloin to play point guard for the Lakers and the centre backs were dire to the point of amusing.

Any half decent group and they will be out.

[Furtho]

Iraq Implodes

Qatar received a reprimand from FIFA on Wednesday for fielding an ineligible player in their game with Iraq. The player in question is renowned tosspot Marcio Emerson Passos (aka Emerson), the former Urawa Reds striker whose prima donna performances and falsified birth certificates earned him first fame and then infamy in Japan, got him arrested in Rio de Janeiro, and now seem to have landed him in hot water with the world game's governing body.

Apparently, Emerson took Qatari citizenship just a few months ago, and was ruled eligible to take part in the final World Cup qualifier against Iraq. But if anyone had bothered to ask the Japanese FA, they would have learned that Japan had already conducted an investigation of the player's background and discovered that he was not only cap-tied to Brazil (having played for their youth team in several U20 internationals), but that he did so despite being at least two years too old to qualify for an U20 tournament. Brazilian authorities have confirmed that he was born 26 months earlier than the date listed on his passport.

To recap, then; Qatar were not only fielding a player who was ineligible to play for any country other than Brazil, but one who had already broken FIFA regulations by lying about his age in order to play in an U20 tournament. Impressive stuff indeed.

[Jorge Porbillas]

Iraq Implodes

Bloody Hell! A reprimand?

Qatari football stinks

[Sam]

Iraq Implodes

Furtho wrote:

cap-tied to Brazil (having played for their youth team in several U20 internationals)

This bit's alright as long as he's not played at Under-21 level, isn't it?

I mean, obviously it isn't because otherwise so many people wouldn't be up in arms about it, but how badly am I misunderstanding the rules? Prior to this thread I thought players could 'switch nationality'* as long as they'd not played either Under-21 or full international football for a given nation.

*I don't actually think they should be allowed to at all except in cases of genuine dual nationality, for what's worth, largely because of Qatar...

[trimster]

Iraq Implodes

Qatar....!! Incredibly we have drawn them again in the second stage group; along with Japan, Bahrain and Uzbekistan.

Still looks a slightly easier group than the other one, though, which has both Koreas, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Asia is certainly proving a test for the socceroos' coach- there seems to be no easy games and every opponent is tough and tricky. First up is Uzbekistan away... wonder how long it takes to fly to Tashkent? I've alway wanted to go there.....

[Guest]

Iraq Implodes

Can't Australia stick that big long-haired guy who came on as sub a few times in the 2006 World Cup, up front alongside McDonald?

He didn't look great two years ago but his mere presence would ensure more space for McDonald to snuffle around the place for goals.

[Rory Bunk]

Iraq Implodes

HofH, that's (Kennedy and McDonald) plan A for Verbeek, I think. Kennedy in the air was real trouble for Qatar in Melbourne.
He missed most of the campaign through injury and childbirth though, with his only recent appearance being Iraq away as a sub. The ping to the big guy from the half way never looked like bearing dividends but was our sole tactic for the last 30 mins.
There are rumblings about a certain Viduka, M returning, but those rumblings are probably just something he ate.