Hong Myung-bo's refusal to play at home in Iraq in June Untimely Controversy in the Middle East...Iraq Accompanies immediately rebutted

Apr 21, 2025

Hong Myung-bo's refusal to play at home in Iraq in June Untimely Controversy in the Middle East...Iraq Accompanies immediately rebutted
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Hong Myung-bo's refusal to play at home in Iraq in June Untimely Controversy in the Middle East...Iraq Accompanies immediately rebutted
The 4th match of Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup between South Korea and Iraq at Yongin Mir Stadium in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 15th. Lee Kang-in is leading the attack. Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.10.15/
Middle Eastern media reported that the South Korean national soccer team A refused to hold an away match in Iraq in June.

The Middle East sports media 'Kura' announced on the 21st (Korea Standard Time) 'South Korea refused to play in Iraq'

The Iraqi news platform 「Alsa Network」 also reported that the Korean media delivered an official letter to FIFA on Sunday (20th) stating that the Korea Football Association (KFA) refused to play the national team match against Iraq at home.




The 'Alsa Network' added that the Korean media, which we monitor, reported that the reason why the Korea Football Association took this position is not known, and the Iraqi side has not yet made an official position. It did not specify exactly which media reports in Korea were cited.

Such reports appear to be the `backward' of the Middle East media. The match between South Korea and Iraq has already been confirmed to be held in Basra, Iraq. KFA officially inquired with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) whether it was possible to host a third country other than Iraq, which was designated as a travel-free country by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for safety reasons, but AFC reportedly notified KFA that the hosting of the event was confirmed. On June 6, the 9th match of Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup will be played at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq. KFA is fully prepared for the safety of the team, including the operation of bulletproof vehicles.

Hong Myung-bo's refusal to play at home in Iraq in June Untimely Controversy in the Middle East...Iraq Accompanies immediately rebutted
Sportschosun DB
Hong Myung-bo's refusal to play at home in Iraq in June Untimely Controversy in the Middle East...Iraq Accompanies immediately rebutted
Sportschosun DB
In this atmosphere, reports on the "Korea's refusal to play away games in Iraq" over the weekend sparked a heated controversy there. In the comments section of the article, reactions criticizing KFA's response were dominant. Iraqi media 'Burata News' resolved the controversy surrounding the Korean soccer game scheduled to be held in Basra by the Iraqi Football Association on the 21stAn article under the title ' reported the official position of Adnan Darzal, president of the Iraqi Football Association.

In an official interview on the same day, Dharzal, president of the association, said "The association has completed all administrative procedures necessary for the game, including issuing entry visas for South Korean athletes. The KFA delegation will arrive in Iraq soon to complete preparations for the match."

"FIFA's decision to host the game in Basra is final, and the Iraqi Football Association will soon receive an official notification about it," he said, stressing that the possibility of a neutral site converges to zero.

Ali Zabar, vice president of the association, also told local media 'Baghdad Today"The Korean delegation will tour stadium facilities and team accommodation." He then reaffirmed that "Iraq will fight for a place in the World Cup finals, and an important football match will be held in Basra in early June."




Hong Myung-bo's refusal to play at home in Iraq in June Untimely Controversy in the Middle East...Iraq Accompanies immediately rebutted
Sportschosun DB
Hong Myung-bo drew in both the 6th and 7th World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Jordan in March, but leads Group B with 16 points. There are three and four points difference from second-place Jordan (13 points) and third-place Iraq (12 points), respectively.

If they win the away match in Iraq, they can confirm their advance to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times early, regardless of the final results of the group stage. In the 3rd Asian qualifying round for the North-China World Cup, a total of 6 teams from the top 1st and 2nd places in the 3rd group will go straight to the finals, while the 6 teams from the 3rd to 4th places in the group will play in the 4th qualifying round, which is a nature of consolation and fight for the remaining 2 tickets. There are a total of eight tickets allocated to Asia.

As the final match is an away match in Jordan, Iraq has to put all its life and death on the line against South Korea in Game 9. This is why he wants to push ahead with the home game despite KFA's request, and this is why he dismissed Jesus Casas, the national team coach, on the 15th. South Korea plans to secure a World Cup ticket in an away match in Iraq and play the final match against Kuwait in Seoul on the 10th.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.