Finally, and following a long absence, the Gulf Cup Football Championship returns to the arms of Iraq following an absence of 44 years.
The city of Basra, in southern Iraq, has completed its preparations to host the 25th edition of the Gulf Cup, between 6 and 19 January.
This comes amid the influx of fans of the participating countries into the city, following long decades that Iraq waited to host the tournament for the second time in its history, following the 1979 tournament in Baghdad, which Iraq won its title at the time.
Festive atmosphere
The city of Basra, known for its oil wealth and paying the bills of war, is experiencing unprecedented social and heritage manifestations and carnivals, in preparation for this important football event.
And the people of the Gulf return to the city, following the second Gulf War that followed the invasion of Kuwait during the era of the late President Saddam Hussein prevented them from visiting it.
Basra is located in the far south of the country at the head of the Gulf, and it was previously known as “Iraq’s Venice” due to the large number of rivers branching in the city. It is the gateway to the Gulf states with Iraq and adjacent to the State of Kuwait.
The governor of Basra, Asaad Al-Eidani, said, “Historic moments will be witnessed by this city and its people once more as they meet and receive the people of the Gulf states, following it was earlier their favorite city for tourism and trade, and a meeting place for them with the people of Basra.”
The war events and the political situation in Iraq were absent from the atmosphere of heroism beloved by the people of the region, following Iraq invaded the State of Kuwait in early August 1990 during the reign of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The conditions of the economic blockade in the nineties, as well as the ban imposed by the International Football Association (FIFA) on Iraq, cast a dark shadow on the “Lions of Mesopotamia” team, before it returned to the atmosphere of the Gulf Cup tournaments in 2004 in Doha, as it started in its first participation in the tournament. The fourth edition in 1976.
In 2014, the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” announced the establishment of the “Islamic Caliphate” in the vast areas it controlled in Iraq and Syria.
After its defeat in Iraq in 2017, the organization continues to carry out limited attacks, through sleeper cells, especially once morest the security forces in the country.
For years, Iraq has sought to host the most prominent Gulf championship, but this matter has stumbled more than once, starting with “Gulf 21”, for reasons often related to the absence of stability and security unrest in the country.
Championship mascot
The Gulf 25 competitions will kick off on Friday, January 6, at an opening ceremony at the Basra International Stadium, which the organizing committee described as exceptional and reflective of the city’s heritage and history and its common life and social relations with the rest of the Gulf region.
The mantra of heroism came according to this specificity, as Sinbad the Sailor, the legendary figure, from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights who roamed the seas and oceans with his trade from Basra, was chosen as a spell by Khaleeji 25, which tells the stories of his seven sea voyages, and here he returns to the city on an eighth voyage accompanied by his seven sisters. Referring to the teams of the seven participating countries.
The political tensions and wars that erupted following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 caused Iraq to be excluded from the Gulf Cup following what was one of its traditional competitive pillars.
And in the record of Iraq’s participation, which it started for the first time in 1976 in the fourth session in Qatar, there are three titles.
After fourteen years of isolation and deportation, Iraq returned to the orbit of heroism in Doha in 2004.
Government agencies have made it easier for fans of national teams to enter through the border crossing, as they are granted free visas.
Strict measures
Basra is witnessing strict security measures and precautionary measures taken by the Military Operations Command in the city, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, to secure the residences of the participating delegations, public centers and fan areas.
The Iraqis hope that the tournament will highlight the dire economic situation in Iraq, and the city of Basra in general, which may give the country a push forward.
They also hope that the championship will come out in the most beautiful way, to give a positive image of Iraq on the security, political and social levels.
Opening match
The competitions will open with a traditional confrontation on Friday in the first group between the owner of the land and Oman at the Basra International Stadium, which can accommodate 65,000 spectators.
The first group also includes Saudi Arabia and Yemen, while the second group includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
The “Black Mesopotamia” aspires to achieve a seventh victory at the expense of the Omani “Al-Ahmar”, which is looking for a third victory over its Iraqi counterpart.
It is expected that the Gulf 25 will be the first challenge that the Spanish coach Jesus Casas will face, the coach of the Iraqi national team, in his first official appearance following his appointment.
And regarding the method that Casas will follow in this match, he explained, “We will certainly rely on the Spanish style of play, and we seek to impose a specific method of play that is close to the Spanish.”
On the other hand, the Omani national team, led by Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic, who took charge of the team in early 2020, hopes to restore memories of the 2017 Kuwait Gulf Cup final, when it won its second title following the first at home in 2009.
The idea of the Gulf Cup goes back mainly to the Saudi Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who proposed it in 1968, and it was adopted by Bahrain, which hosted the tournament in 1970 with the participation of 4 teams: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, then it turned into an official tournament that continued until now.
Is Iraq capable of hosting such an event? And why?
How does Iraq benefit from hosting the Gulf Championship 25?
Will the championship be the beginning of a greater Iraqi-Gulf rapprochement in the future?
Who will win the title of this edition? And why?
We will discuss these and other topics with you in an episode Friday 6 January / January
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