IRAQ earned a place in the football semi-finals on Saturday with a goal from Emad Mohammed, the midfield player, sealing a 1-0 victory over Australia in the Pankritio Stadium, Heraklio. The team’s success is startling because, a year ago, Iraq’s football federation had been disbanded, the players had no facilities and no money and the country’s Olympic status had been suspended by the IOC.
On Tuesday, Iraq face Paraguay at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, with the victorious side taking at least a silver medal. Italy meet Argentina earlier in the day in the other semi-final in Athens.
The progress of the Iraq side has brought celebrations back home, where the success has come as a distraction from daily conflict in the war-torn nation. “We have spoken to our families,” Adnan Hamad Majeed, the coach, said after the victory over Australia. “Everybody is out in the streets, ecstatic. Our families are surrounded by difficult conditions and tough situations and we are trying to offer the best we can to give a little happiness for our people.”
Reinstated by the IOC in February, Iraq qualified not only for the Olympic Games but also for the Asian Cup in China. However, threats to his life led Bernd Stange, the German coach responsible for the revitalisation of the team, to resign three months ago and the squad has prepared for the Games against a backdrop of turmoil.
Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, promised assistance in rebuilding the structure of the game in Iraq. Before the quarter-final he said that Fifa would help to build a new training centre for the team, having already earmarked £220,000 to rebuild the Iraqi football federation’s headquarters, which were destroyed during the war. “Football can be one of the tools for peace, not only in this country but all around the world,” Blatter said.
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Paraguay knocked out Brazil in the South American qualifying round and advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-2 victory over South Korea. Fredy Bareiro, the forward, scored twice as Paraguay took a 3-0 lead.
Italy beat Mali 1-0 with a goal from Cesare Bovo in extra time and meet Argentina, who crushed Costa Rica 4-0.