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Supporters of the Iraqi national team wave their national flag during the international friendly soccer game between Iraq and Jordan at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq, June 1, 2017.(photo byHAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP/Getty Images)

Author:Mustafa Saadoun Posted July 9, 2017

BAGHDAD Iraq has been workingto get theFIFA banon its soccer stadiums lifted by hosting showcase gamesand wooing international soccer stars to tour the country's facilities.

The latest gameswere held June 26 and June 29 in Karbala between the Iraqi Olympic team and its Syrian counterpart. Iraq wonthe first game 2-0and the second game ended in a 1-1 tie.

The gamescome as Iraq is trying to getthe international governing body for soccer toliftits ban, which hasbeen in place since 2013. In May, FIFA agreed to let Iraq host unofficial games, or "friendlies," during a three-monthtrial period.Before its gamewith the Syrian Olympic team, the Iraqi national team playedJune 1 against the Jordanian team at Basra International Stadium in southern Iraq. About 65,000 spectatorsturned out to seeIraq win 1-0.

In addition to hostingunofficial games, Iraq is tryingto attractinternational soccer stars to visit its sports facilities.Iraq is preparing to receive a group of international soccer stars to participate in a friendly gamewith Iraq's standout players. On June 18, former Dutch midfielderEdgar Davids arrived in Iraq to explore Basra International Stadium, where the gamewill be played Aug. 1.

The Iraqi people have a passion for [soccer]and the promotional gameswill contribute to lifting the ban imposed on Iraqi soccer, Davids said during his visit.Ahmed Musawi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, greeted Davids.

Musawi told Al-Monitor, There are signs that the ban could be lifted, especially amid the games that Iraq played against Jordan and Syria. We have sensed a great [will] on the part of the Arab and international federations to lift the ban on Iraqi stadiums.

He added, There are international companiesready to cooperate with Iraq in organizing international games. Also, the most prominent gamebetween international and Iraqi soccer stars will take place in August.

Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, former Brazilian soccer stars,former Dutch soccer starClarence Seedorf and Davidsare among the sports celebrities who will be coming toBasra.

A source in the Ministry of Youth and Sports told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Once the friendly games to be held in Iraqi stadiums are over, Iraq will submit a special dossier about those games and the related organizational measures to the International Federation of Football [FIFA], along with videos showing the spectators.

Iraq has seen its share of bans on hosting games. The ban imposed since 2013 came after a coach was killed by security forces and the country wasexperiencingfrequent jihadiattacks. Other safety-related bans were imposed in 1985 during the Iran-Iraq War, in 1990 with the invasion of Kuwait and in 2003 during the US war on Iraq.In 2009, the Iraqi National Olympic Committee disbandedthe Iraq Football Association(IFA) andIraqi security forces took over the IFA's offices. TheFIFA Emergency Committee then suspended the IFA. The Iraqi Olympic Committee and the IFA hada long-running dispute over who was in charge of the country's soccer program.

In a promising sign,the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)allowed Iraq to host a conference game in May between two Iraqi teams:Air Forceand Al-Zawraa.

Though Iraq has had to play all of its official FIFA games outside its own stadiums in recent years, it has managed a number of achievements. It ranked No. 4at the 2004 Athens Olympics,took first place in the West Asian Games in 2005,won the AFC Asian Cup in 2007 and the Arab Cup for Juniors for the first time in 2014.

Thenational team also won the AFC Asian U-22 cup for Olympic teams in 2014, the AFC Asian U-16 cup in 2016 and the AFC Asian U-14 cup in 2014. Also, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Iraqi soccer clubwon the AFC Cup in 2016. In 2013, Iraq won the World Military Championship for the fourth time.

During a June 1 meeting with theJordanian Football Association president in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said, SportsuniteIraqisand lifting the embargo will be a good omen and a security message for a new stage.

Minister of Youth and Sports Abdul-Hussein Abtan also extended an invitationlast month to the US national soccer team to come to Iraq and play a friendly gamewith the Iraqi national team. US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Stephanie Williams said at the time that Iraq had earned a lifting of the ban in part because of thestate of its sports stadiums.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/07/iraq-basra-karbala-stadium-ban-sport-jordan-syria.html

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Iraq hopes to bring FIFA soccer back to its stadiums - Al-Monitor