Efe Doha
Doha
Updated Tuesday, January 30, 2024-09:15
A group of Iraqi journalists tried to attack this Monday the
Iraq
coach , the Spanish
Jesús Casas
, during the press conference after the round of 16 match of the Asia Cup against
Jordan
(2-3), where the Arab team was eliminated from the continental competition.
The defeat of the Iraqi team
unleashed the anger of the country's press
, after Iraq was nominated as one of the favorites to win the title after having an impeccable group stage, which it completed undefeated despite the presence of a team of the stature from Japan.
During the post-match press conference, several reporters present in the room got up from their seats and went furiously towards Casas, whom they
accused of granting several interviews to Spanish media during the tournament and of not focusing on the competition
.
"None of the coaches of the teams that went to the round of 16 gave interviews before their matches, how is it possible that you could think of doing that? It's a shame," said some of the reporters in the room, while the
security had to intervene
to prevent informants from approaching the Spanish coach.
Evicted
The Iraqi press ended up vacating the room and only a small group of foreign journalists remained, before whom Casas, who was Luis Enrique's assistant in the Spanish team, regretted what happened and justified that the interviews he gave had no impact on the team performance.
Likewise, the Spaniard assured that he did not feel worried about his future at the head of the Iraq team - which he has led since 2022 - and reaffirmed that
the Arab team's objective is to qualify for the 2026 World Cup
, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
For its part, the Iraq Football Federation condemned in a statement the "painful scene" experienced in the press room and the
"disgusting and reckless behavior against coach Casas"
, while ensuring that legal measures will be taken to "preserve the reputation" of the Spanish coach.