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| The 4th Group B match between South Korea and Iraq was held at Yongin Mir Stadium in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup. Iraqi coach Jesus Casas is watching the game. Yongin = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.10.15/ |
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| The 4th Group B match between South Korea and Iraq was held at Yongin Mir Stadium in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup. Iraqi coach Jesus Casas is watching the game. Yongin = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.10.15/ |
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On the 15th, Jesus Casas (52), the former coach of the Iraqi national soccer team, shot the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) publicly.
In an interview with the Spanish daily 'Marca', Spanish coach Casas explained the background of the dismissal and strongly criticized the IFA for making this decision.
Kasas, who led Iraq for three years from 2022 to 2025, said "I don't feel good. It's upsetting in both sports and non-sports. We are playing the Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. There are still two games left. In this situation, the replacement is ridiculous, but this happens in Iraq. If you lose the game, everything collapses."
Casas was dismissed after losing 1-2 in the away game of the eighth group stage of the third Asian qualifying round against Palestine on the 25th of last month.
Iraq was undefeated (1 win, 2 draws) in three consecutive matches before the match against Palestine. In Group B of the group league, it currently ranks third after South Korea (16 points) and Jordan (13 points) with 3 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses and 12 points. With only one point difference from Jordan, there was a possibility of turning it over in the remaining two games. In the third Asian qualifying round for the World Cup, a total of six teams from the top three groups will go straight to the World Cup finals. Iraq has two consecutive games to play against South Korea on June 6 and Jordan on June 11.
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| APYonhap News |
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In Iraq, a certain coach often directs three teams in the same season. That's how much the directors constantly change. They (the association, clubs) do not look at the current situation, previous performances, previous rankings, and if the results of the game are not good, they dismiss the manager."
Kasas continued "I rejected the Korean national team's offer to stay in Iraq"I just shrugged off the proposal with devotion. The bond between the IFA and the Iraqi fan was even more heartbreaking because it was 'real'. We expected a different treatment." Casas was one of the candidates for the head coach of the South Korean national soccer A team, which was vacant in July last year. The Korea Football Association (KFA) finally appointed former Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo.
According to Casas, the IFA offered an annual salary reduced by 8% from the previous salary at the negotiation table for renewal. Director Casas "Dirty War" began when we rejected this proposal. The association leaked my contract to social media and national news, and pressed me with tax lawsuits. He is now suing me for breach of contract."
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup match between Iraq and Japan at Education City Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 19th (local time). Iraqi coach Jesus Casas is watching the game. Alaiyan (Qatar) = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.01.19 |
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Coach Casas made a splash at the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup. They defeated Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam in the group stage. However, in the round of 16, Ayman Hussein (Al-Wakra) was sent off for an unexpected goal ceremony of 'Ace'Eating on the turf' and allowed Jordan to score a theater equalizer and a theater come-from-behind goal, causing him to be eliminated. The FIFA ranking, which was 68th when Casas was appointed, jumped to 55th in September 2024. It is the highest ranking in 18 years since the 52nd place in 2006.
Casas said, `I still get messages from Iraqi fans. Some of them are significantly saying 'Iraq is not correct' and finally "I've had amazing human and spoiler-wise experiences in the last two and a half years. There is a new perspective on different cultures, different lives, and different soccer. This experience will remain in my mind forever. I hope we can do another project together someday. I think there will definitely be an opportunity, if not immediately."
The IFA is reportedly looking for a new head coach ahead of the match against Korea.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
