2023-12-18T06:39:19+00:00
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/ On Monday, the coach of the Iraqi Olympic team, Radhi Shenaishil, criticized the Asian Football Confederation for not including the Asian Finals Championship scheduled in Qatar in April of next year within the “FIFA D” days.
“It will be very difficult for us to invite players to join the national team, including professionals,” Shenishil told Agency, explaining that “the Asian competitions will start outside the FIFA D days, and this will make our task of forcing clubs to release our national team players difficult, and these matters will remain in the relations and influences of the federation with the foreign clubs concerned.”
“The AFC should have set a time that suits the tournament, and that it be within the FIFA D days, and take into account the importance of the competitions as they are very important and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics and are no less important than the national team competitions,” he added, noting that “this problem that we will face has prompted us to think about expanding the base by discovering the largest number of players to compensate for absences and injuries.”
“The Olympic team is limited to ages (2001-2002-2003), unlike the national team, where ages are open. Our mission will undoubtedly be difficult in terms of selection and discovering new names, as we are limited to ages that require special attention, preparation, polishing and equipping them for the tournament,” Shenishil said, indicating that “after expanding the number and revealing the new list, the team will gather in March of next year in two camps, internal and external, in order to prepare and reach sufficient conviction regarding the final names that are consistent with our situation and serve the Olympic team in the upcoming Asian mission.”
The draw for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, the sixth edition, placed the Iraqi national team in Group 3, alongside Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Tajikistan.
The tournament will start in April of next year in Qatar 2024.