Blatter lauds Iraqi spirit
Switzerland - FIFA President Sepp Blatter has praised the Iraq team for showing tremendous spirit during the Asian Cup qualifying, a series of stirring results that belied their recent morale after suffering the effects of war.
Together with German coach Bernd Stange, the Iraq squad will be honoured by the sport's governing body in a special ceremony to be held later in December.
"The Iraqi footballers have overcome testing times to win a qualifying berth for next year's Asian Cup finals in China and their coach has shown a lot of courage to continue on the job," said Blatter.
"Football must be kept out of politics at all times. It is the people's game and has over a billion people directly or indirectly involved in the sport, and it is still growing
Arab Champions League - 2nd Round Schedule
2003-11-28
AlZawraa and Altalaba are in the 2nd round of the Arabian Champions League starting on 2nd December with Altalaba kicking off their campaign with an away tie against Alathad (Saudi) in Jaddah.
Alzawraa meanwhile will begin by taking on another Saudi side, Alahli on 6th December in Alryath.
Arab Champions (Asia) Group 1
Alzawraa (Iraq)
Alhilal (Saudi)
Alwahdat (Jordan)
Alahli (Saudi)
Alzawraa (Iraq) x Alhilal (Saudi) 6-12-2003 Alryath
Alahli (Saudi) x Alwihdat (Jordan) 6-12-2003 Amman
Alhilal (Saudi) x Alahli (Saudi) 10-12-2003 Jaddah
Alwihdat (Jordan) x Alzawraa (Iraq) 10-12-2003 Damscas
Alwihdat (Jordan) x Alhila (Saudi) 19-01-2004 Alryath
Alahli (Saudi) x Alzawraa (Iraq) 19-01-2004 Damscas
Alzawraa (Iraq) x Alwaihdat (Jordan) 24-01-2004 Amman
Alahli (Saudi) x Alhilal (Saudi) 29-01-2004 Alryath
Alhilal (Saudi) x Alwihdat (Jordan) 05-2-2004 Amman
Alzawraa (Iraq) x Alahli (Saudi) 06-02-2003 Jaddah
Alwihdat (Jordan) x Alahli (Saudi) 21-02-2004 Jaddah
Alhilal (Saudi) x Alzawraa (Iraq) 21-02-2004 Damscas
Arab Champions (Asia) Group 2
Altalaba (Iraq)
Alathad (Saudi)
AlKuwait (Kuwait)
Alfaisaly (Jordan)
Altalaba (Iraq) x Alathad (Saudi) 02-12-2003 Jaddah
Alfaisaly (Jordan) x AlKuwait (Kuwait) 02-12-2003 Amman
AlKuwait (Kuwait) x Altalaba (Iraq) 10-12-2003 Amman
Alathad (Saudi) x Alfaisaly (Jordan) 12-12-2003 Amman
Altalaba (Iraq) x Alfaisaly (Jordan) 20-01-2004 Amman
AlKuwait (Kuwait) x Alathad (Saudi) 23-01-2004 Jaddah
Altalaba (Iraq) x AlKuwait (Kuwait) 28-01-2004 Kuwait
Alfaisaly (Jordan) x Alathad (Saudi) 30-01-2004 Jaddah
Alathad (Saudi) x AlKuwait (Kuwait) 05-2-2004 Kuwait
Alfaisaly (Jordan) x Altalaba (Iraq) 07-02-2003 Amman
AlKuwait (Kuwait) x Alfaisaly (Jordan) 12-02-2004 Amman
Alathad (Saudi) x Altalaba (Iraq) 21-02-2004 Amman
Iran will not participate in Bahrain.
2003-11-28
IraqSoccer/Manama - Iran have called off its participation from the four nations tournament in Bahrain that will be played next month in the Bahraini capital Manama. The organizers of the tournament were shocked when they received a fax from the Iranian Football Federation yesterday, as Iran was the first team to confirm its participation in the tournament.
On the other hand Egypt have confirmed its participation once again, while one of two other african teams Congo or Kenya might take Iran's place in the tournament. Congo is currently ranked 54 while Kenya is ranked 80.
The news from the Iraqi camp is still unknown. Adnan Hamad is trying to get the olympic team to participate in the tournament while the Iraqi Football Association confirmed the national team's participation two months ago. "
Japan Aids Iraqi Soccer.
2003-11-27
TOKYO — The Japanese government won't send troops to help coalition forces in Iraq after all, but it will send 1,214 soccer balls. In a ceremony last week, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukio Takeuchi accepted thousands of balls, spikes and uniforms donated from across Japan and undertook the task of shipping the equipment to Iraqi soccer authorities.
"It is important that the people of Iraq hold hope and can heighten their expectations for the future, and the donation from football fans all around Japan with their hearts provide a prop for them in this regard," Mr. Takeuchi said at the ceremony.
The government originally had planned to send up to 1,200 members of Japan's Self Defense Forces to help with noncombat tasks such as road building. But after a deadly attack on Italian forces in southern Iraq, the Japanese government decided to rescind its offer. The government said the attack shows that "circumstances" don't permit such a dispatch.
The substitution of soccer balls for troops — one ball for one soldier — is symptomatic of the increasingly difficult situation of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Mr. Koizumi invested considerable political capital in actively supporting U.S. military policy after September 2001 but faces growing public opposition providing military assistance for the forces in Iraq.
A poll conducted last weekend by the Sankei Shimbun and Fuji News Network showed that 88 percent of Japanese oppose sending troops now. That number has risen steadily since the government enacted a law in July to allow the dispatch of troops. Support for Koizumi's Cabinet was about 46 percent in the poll, down from 65 percent in late September polls.
"The alliance with Washington has been an asset for Koizumi," says Sheila Smith, a Japan expert at the East-West Center in Hawaii. "But it may become a liability." In Madrid last month, Japan announced plans to contribute $5 billion, including loans, to meet reconstruction needs in Iraq — second only to the $87 billion contribution by the United States. But even this leaves Japan open to the same international criticism it faced during the 1991 Gulf War for its mere "checkbook diplomacy." There's a history in Asia of "healing wounds" through sports.
The co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup soccer tournament by Japan and South Korea led to a warming of relations between the two countries that years of orthodox diplomatic initiatives failed to achieve. The Korean peninsula was occupied by Japan for 40 years at the beginning of the 20th century, often brutally, and the Koreans banned the import of Japanese cultural products. After the success of the World Cup tournament, South Korea lifted prohibitions on such products as CDs and video-game software.
Three decades earlier, President Nixon allowed a touring Chinese pingpong team to play in the United States, leading within six months to the opening of U.S. diplomatic relations with Beijing