By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Iraq head coach Graham Arnold is urging FIFA to postpone the nation’s crucial World Cup play-off decider against either Bolivia or Suriname amid the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran.
The Lions of Mesopotamia are set to face a one-off match with the winner of a playoff between Suriname and Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, on March 31, with the FIFA window due to start March 23.
That match with Suriname or Bolivia will decide whether Iraq qualifies for its first global tournament since 1986.
But preparation for Iraq’s match has been plunged into turmoil by the widening conflict in the region. Iraqi airspace is not due to reopen until April 1, the day after Iraq’s scheduled fixture with the winner of the Suriname-Bolivia match.
Arnold, speaking to AAP from the UAE as he received an emergency alert on his phone, has a simple request for FIFA: “Please help us with this game because right now we are struggling to get our players out of the country of Iraq.”
Close to 60% of Arnold’s first-choice squad is drawn from the domestic Iraqi league, but those players and many of his backroom staff, including interpreter and former Sydney FC winger Ali Abbas, remain unable to fly out of Iraq.
“In my opinion, if FIFA were to delay the game, it gives us time to prepare properly,” Arnold told AAP. “Let Bolivia play Suriname this month and then a week before the World Cup, we play the winner in the U.S. — the winner of that game stays on and the loser goes home.
“In my opinion, it also gives FIFA more time to decide what Iran is going to do.”
“If Iran withdraws,” he said, “we go into the World Cup, and it gives the UAE, who we beat in qualifying, the chance to prepare for either Bolivia or Suriname.