2023-12-31T11:09:25+00:00
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/ The group of football clubs in the Kurdistan Region, which boycotted the meetings of the Iraqi Football Association, on Sunday called on the presidents of the republic, the ministers and the Minister of Sports to “stand by them” on the issue of excluding them from the federal government’s decision to support Iraqi Stars League clubs.
The statement of the clubs and federations of the Kurdistan region, addressed to the president, deputies and members of the Iraqi Football Federation, and members of the General Assembly of the Iraqi Football Federation, and received by Agency, said: “Our brothers in the respected General Assembly and Executive Committee, we, the clubs and federations of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, were and are still supportive of this The institution that we did a lot to develop and maintain its prestige, and history bears witness to the fact that the regional teams participating in the league throughout history spared no effort in developing all competitions, even during the time of the former regime when the regime was tightening its grip on our cities and killing our children, and we continued to participate in The league, and at the same time, the Olympic Committee and the Federation, were treating our clubs in the same way as the rest of the Iraqi clubs, without distinction or preference.”
The statement continued: “In recent days, the federal government issued a happy decision for all athletes to support the 16 Iraqi Stars League clubs, but what is unfortunate about the decision is that it did not include the four clubs of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq participating in the first competition in the country, which is (Erbil – Dohuk – Zakho – Newroz), and this is a precedent. “It is very dangerous for football, as with this step, the league loses the principle of equal opportunities, abolishes justice, and strikes the integrity of football at the core because it is built on transparency, justice, and equality.”
He added, “The sub-unions in the region also were not included in any grant or any support recently, so the signatories to this statement, who are the representatives of the Kurdistan Region clubs participating in the Iraq Stars League and the (Sulaimaniyah Peshmerga) club, and the sub-unions of the region decided not to attend the scheduled meetings of the Iraqi Football Federation.” It will be held on Saturday, December 30, 2023, and we will hold an urgent meeting to discuss the decision to boycott the federation’s activities for the 2023/2024 season, and until the appropriate ground is available and equality is present to compete with our brothers in other clubs from one starting line.
He concluded by saying, “We would like to convey our voice to His Excellency the honorable President of the Republic, to the honorable Prime Minister, the advisors, the Minister of Youth and Sports, and the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, and we ask them to stand by their children in the homeland, regardless of their nationalities and affiliations. This is our pledge to them and our confidence is high in their intentions and visions to include everyone with their care and attention.”
According to the statement, the signatories from the clubs are the Newroz Club, the Dohuk Club, the Erbil Club, the Zakho Club, and the Sulaymaniyah Peshmerga Club, and from the federations they are the Sub-Union of Erbil Governorate, the Sub-Union of Dohuk Governorate, and the Sub-Union of Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
The clubs of the Kurdistan Region boycotted the Iraqi Football Federation’s meetings, to discuss the federation’s regular general agenda.
Meanwhile, yesterday, Saturday, the Iraqi Football Association held a regular general assembly meeting, approved the financial and administrative reports for the year 2022, and approved a speculative budget for the year 2024.