Corona multiplies the plight of Iraqi football and signs of a crisis between clubs and players

Ali Nuri - Baghdad

Iraqi clubs and players have incurred heavy financial losses due to the Corona virus, which has stopped sporting activities in the country, and has caused near paralysis and a curfew in the capital, Baghdad, and other cities.

Al-Zawraa Club is one of the most financially affected Iraqi clubs due to the loss of nearly one billion Iraqi dinars (833 thousand dollars) after giving the first batch of contracts to its players, as well as losing huge sums of money that he would receive from the Asia Cell Communications Company, the official sponsor of the club.

A member of Al-Zawraa club Abdul Rahman Rashid said in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that stopping sporting activities has a significant impact on the financial side of club departments in general and players in particular.

He affirmed that Al-Zawraa Club lost huge sums, as the financial support of the club was stopped by the official sponsor, as he was receiving sums of money due to the sponsorship contract.

Walid al-Zaidi, deputy head of the Air Force Club administration, revealed that the team lost about 1.5 billion Iraqi dinars (about 1.2 million dollars). He told Al Jazeera Net, "We have paid a lot of money to the players after paying their salaries, and there are financial losses due to not receiving the proceeds of the matches and the revenues of the TV transport."

He pointed out that the club also lost revenues it was achieving through its own sports equipment store, which was closed after the curfew was imposed.

For his part, a member of the Police Club administration, Uday Al-Rubaie, said that the health and safety of the players is a priority.

The majority of Iraqi clubs rely mainly on government funding, because they are linked to the country's ministries, which provide them with annual financial budgets.

Do not waive the money

One of the Iraqi players, who plays in a club, rejected any talk of giving up his financial dues.

"I received the largest percentage of my dues after agreeing with the club management, and it is not possible for me to return these sums after I played for the team in local and foreign championships," the player, who declined to be named, told Al Jazeera Net.

He talked about the possibility of an amicable solution to the outstanding salaries issue because the players were cut off from training and competing in matches, "As for talking about returning our dues that we received previously, this will never happen."

As for the former international goalkeeper, Nur Sabri, he said that the Coruna virus will have severe effects on Iraqi football.

Sabri added to Al Jazeera Net, "We received 20% of our contracts in Najaf, which were reduced to 50% after changing the league system, and we do not know what will happen in the future."

"If the league is canceled, then the remaining rights for us will be canceled. Who will bear this issue? Things are very vague and we do not know what is happening and what is our fate."

Marketing collapse

The Corona virus and the popular protests that have rocked Iraqi cities in the past months have resulted in a significant breakdown in the marketing of Iraqi league matches this season.

The Corona virus caused a heavy financial loss to the Iraqi Federation and the Ishtar TV Transport Company in the amount of 500 thousand dollars, after having previously lost one million dollars due to stopping the league due to the demonstrations, as the number of games marketed decreased from 250 to 80 games, which are transmitted through the Iraqi sports channel and the Qatar Cup.