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Video duration: 01 minutes 27 seconds 01:27

Doha -

Frowning and distracted, as if he was waiting for something to happen, Spaniard Jesus Casas, coach of the Iraqi national team, entered the press conference hall following his team’s fatal 3-2 loss to Jordan in the 16th Asian Cup final.

Only minutes had passed since the start of the press conference, until what the former assistant coach of Barcelona and the Spanish national team, Luis Enrique, had feared occurred: a torrent of questions that included accusations from Iraqi journalists who were present at the press conference held by the coach, after the loss that was shocking to the Iraqi fans to the national team. "The starchy."

One of the journalists asks him about a media interview he conducted - he is the only coach among the 16 whose teams reached the final stage to do so - and the lack of discipline within the Iraqi team’s camp and talk about player injuries. The journalist attributed the reason for the loss to Jordan to this “chaos.”

First, Casas tried to explain what happened and that what was said had nothing to do with today’s loss, as evidenced by the fact that his team defeated Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam, and these interviews did not affect the team.

But other journalists were not convinced by the answer and rushed him with another barrage of questions on the same topic. The translator returned to translate these questions for him, but he answered with one word, “Yes.”

There was chaos in the hall, and the voices of this group of Iraqi journalists rose, who considered this answer a mockery of them. One of them shouted, “You are mocking the sports media and the Iraqi people, and this case must be investigated by the Iraqi Federation.”

📽️ The 5-goal scenario for the Iraq-Jordan match

⏱️Dr. 45+1 Iraq 0-1 Jordan


⏱️Dr. 68 Iraq 1-1 Jordan


⏱️Dr. 76 Iraq 2-1 Jordan


⏱️Dr. 90+5 Iraq 2-2 Jordan


⏱️ Dr. 90+7 Iraq 2-3 Jordan #Asian_Cup | #AsiaCup2023 | #Iraq_Jordan#AsianCup2023 pic.twitter.com/5oHvQ566WU

- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 29, 2024

They withdraw from the press conference in protest, and demand that the coach apologize, bear responsibility, and submit his resignation because he was the cause of the loss and exclusion after Iraq was on the verge of qualifying on a path that could lead it to the final of the continental competition.

After the journalists left, Casas considered what happened unfortunate and said, "It pains me what happened. These are people who took advantage of the loss to harm the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Federation."

The atmosphere calms down and things return to normal. We ask the Spanish coach two questions: Do you bear responsibility for the loss? Did you have to modify your plan and tactical drawing after the expulsion of striker Ayman Hussein?

Casas rose up and said that he did not have anything to change because he had made his five substitutions and that he had done what had to be done in the meantime. He considered that the expulsion was not correct because “in a major tournament like the Asian Cup, a player cannot be expelled just because he celebrates the goal.”

When we insisted on our question, Coach Casas refused to take responsibility and considered that he was not the first in the list of responsibilities, as the loss was caused by the “match referee.”

Regarding his future with the Iraqi national team, “I am calm about my future. Our goal is to prepare to continue the World Cup qualifiers.”

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Did Ayman Hussein deserve to be expelled? #AsiaCup | #AsiaCup2023 | #Iraq_Jordan#asiancup2023 pic.twitter.com/s3wFhkUz5d

- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 29, 2024

We leave the press conference and meet the withdrawing journalists who were shocked that the coach who was contracted by the Iraqi Federation in 2022, “did not apologize to the Iraqi people for the painful loss that caused them shock, especially since he was hoping to achieve the title, especially after the rocket launch in the group stage,” according to one of them. Journalists.

Karrar Hussein, a journalist for the Iraqi Al-Ayyam channel, and one of those who withdrew from the Casas press conference, said, “The withdrawal from the press conference was due to coach Casas’ mockery of several questions asked of him, and these questions are asked by all Iraqis: Why are problems accompanying the Iraqi national team’s camps and the hotel in which they stay?” Players arrive and move around with people who have nothing to do with the technical and training staff, and players withdraw.”

🇮🇶🔥The Iraqi fans ignite the stands before the start of the match #AsianCup | #AsiaCup2023 | #Iraq_Jordan #AsianCup2023 pic.twitter.com/EB02mhJrlH

- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 29, 2024

He added, "There is also talk about injuries and players undergoing medical examinations in preparation for their transfer to new teams while they are with the national team. There are many ambiguous matters, not to mention a television interview conducted by coach Casas two days before an important confrontation. We conveyed the questions of the street and the Iraqi fans to the coach of their national team, and his response was mockery."

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, the Iraqi player, Ali Hussein, considered that the expulsion of his colleague Ayman Hussein was a harsh decision by the referee, noting that “the Jordanian national team players celebrated in the same way and did not receive any warning, while our player was expelled.”

He continued, "The Iraqi team has young players and their future is bright. We must turn the page on the loss and exit from the Asian Cup and focus on the future with these players and the technical staff."

He concluded, "The players are confident in the ability of Casas and his team to take Iraq to better levels and good results in the future."

Source: Al Jazeera