Report: Iran to host Iraq National Team WC qualifiers

[khodam]

These us vs them comments are really not necessary. If we have to prove anything, it should be on a soccer pitch and not in a public forum.

We Iranians were famous for being very hospitable. And I really miss those times.

[KC McElroy]

These us vs them comments are really not necessary. If we have to prove anything, it should be on a soccer pitch and not in a public forum.

We Iranians were famous for being very hospitable. And I really miss those times.

We still are but just not to people who spent 8 years trying to kill us.

[khodam]

There are 27 year olds on both sides who didn't even live during that time. Relationships should be judged on what we do today, like hosting a soccer game for a friendly nation.

[Kiarash]

Report: Iran to host Iraq National Team WC qualifiers

We Iranians were famous for being very hospitable..

I am sure Iraqi football fans are also very hospitable to TM and Iran..

[K. Nader]

Guys remember that what happened in AC what mostly, if not completely, the referee's fault, not the Iraqi players' fault.

Sure, they may have played rough here and there, but so did we! It was the QF's of the biggest Asian competition against one of our rivals, so it was kind of expected to be rough from both sides.

So in case we get to host them, let's at least be good hosts and not wish them to be treated badly.

Aside from that tool Younes Mahmoud who sprinted faster than Usain Bolt from the other end of the field to let Ben Williams know that Pouladi had received his second yellow card.

But then again, who knows. Maybe we'll be grouped with them in the next round and will have the pleasure of beating them in Iran twice.

[Shah Abbas]

I can't believe some of the comments here...

If an Iraqi player got a Red card just like Pooladi, what would our players do? Attack the referee or send one of our own players off!?
It's football match at Asian Cup, both teams will do anything to win and qualify to next round.

I'm pretty sure, we're not going to be paying the money for the accommodation of the Iraqi team, they have enough money to pay for that. I'm not too sure about Syria though, and Yemen will probably give us some Qaat and Hashish in return...

[PersianLegion]

These us vs them comments are really not necessary. If we have to prove anything, it should be on a soccer pitch and not in a public forum.

We Iranians were famous for being very hospitable. And I really miss those times.

I am usually an accepting person and had your mentality up to a certain point.

I list my reasons as following.

1. There is deep hostility toward Iranians between many Iraqis (specifically sunni and some shia Arab and few kurds), left overs of the Iraq-Iran war and years of Bathis regime anti Iranian propaganda.

2. The match did left some scars on us as Iraqi committed many rough fouls that earn them 8 yellow cards. They injured our goal keeper

3. The fact that Abd Zahra was a doped up player, but instead blaming IFF and Iranians as liars while he was fully aware of his wrong doing. Considering both of his blood samples were tested by a Fifa approved German laboratory and turned positive. He left the Iranian team before his second blood sample answer come through. He knew He can not play for Traxtor anymore when the answer turned positive again, so left for an Iraqi club and later came to term with Iranian club. IFF kept this in secret to give the Iraqi player a favor, as they do to all Iraqi Shia. Later when they saw Iraqi national team is using the guy who was not supposed to play, against Iran, they file the report and it was FIFA approved. IFF has informed Iraqi football federation months before about Abd Zahra doping case, but considering the chaos on Iraqi football federation, they did not notice or didn't want to notice. AFC was saying they were not informed before the AFC competition and if they grant the match in Iran favor all teams played against Iraq could complain a rematch or full 3 points and it would messed up the whole competition plus being a big embarrassment for AFC and Iraq. As usual Arab members of the committee all voted in favor of Iraq and took us down. Basically screwed us over with no apology or honorable mentions.

4. The thing that hurt the most was the audacity of Abd Zahra and Iraqi football federation that calling IFF and Iranians as lying losers who wanted to play with Iraqi honor, and their online and offline followers coming with most racists shits toward Iranians everywhere without questioning their own player and football federation. I realized that in other forums, youtube, facebook, and even here in my local retail store and pub. They took it to another level by showing deep hostility, hopefully it is just temporary and in isolated cases. I like to believe it was because of few dumb young Iraqis pumped up with blind nationalism. I hope you haven't experienced such in you local town.

The last part is the main factor for me to rethink about Iraq. I don't consider them as our rival but they are for sure out of my favor giving book. I thought we could have good relationship as neighbors and sharing some cultural ties but I am indifferent toward them from now on. neutral. As a neutral person I don't want any favor or financial accommodation be given to Iraqis while our own team doesn't have a proper training field or facility. I may reconsider in future, but for time being I am at this position.

[khodam]

I am usually an accepting person and had your mentality up to a certain point.

1. There is deep hostility toward Iranians between many Iraqis (specifically sunni and some shia Arab and few kurds)
2. The match did left some scars on us as Iraqi committed many rough fouls that earn them 8 yellow cards. They injured our goal keeper
3. The fact that Abd Zahra was a doped up player, but instead blaming IFF and Iranians as liars while he was fully aware of his wrong doing. Considering both of his blood samples were tested by a Fifa approved German laboratory and turned positive. He left the Iranian team before his second blood sample answer come through. He knew He can not play for Traxtor anymore when the answer turned positive again, so left for an Iraqi club and later came to term with Iranian club. IFF kept this in secret to give the Iraqi player a favor, as they do to all Iraqi Shia. Later when they saw Iraqi national team is using the guy who was not supposed to play, against Iran, they file the report and it was FIFA approved. IFF has informed Iraqi football federation months before about Abd Zahra doping case, but considering the chaos on Iraqi football federation, they did not notice or didn't want to notice. AFC was saying they were not informed before the AFC competition and if they grant the match in Iran favor all teams played against Iraq could complain a rematch or full 3 points and it would messed up the whole competition plus being a big embarrassment for AFC and Iraq. As usual Arab members of the committee all voted in favor of Iraq and took us down. Basically screwed us over with no apology or honorable mentions.
4. The thing that hurt most is the audacity of Abd Zahra and Iraqi football federation that calling IFF and Iranians as lying losers who wants to play with Iraqi honor and their online and offline followers coming with most racists shits toward Iranians everywhere without questioning their player and football federation. I realized that in other forums and on facebook.

The last part is the main factor for me to rethink about Iraq. I don't consider them as our rival but they are for sure out of my favor giving book. I thought we could have good relationship as neighbors and sharing some cultural ties but I am indifferent toward them from now on. neutral. As a neutral person I don't want any favor or financial accommodation be given to Iraqis while our own team doesn't have a proper training field or facility. I may reconsider in future, but for time being I am at this position.

Good points. But let's get back at them where it counts, on the soccer field. Our argument towards Iraqis should only be telling them to bring it on. We welcome the challenge and will kick their butt (referee permitting). Nothing more.

[PersianLegion]

Good points. But let's get back at them where it counts, on the soccer field. Our argument towards Iraqis should only be telling them to bring it on. We welcome the challenge and will kick their butt (referee permitting). Nothing more.

I added few more lines in the bold part of my argument. It went beyond pitch for Iranians living in my town. And before that happen I always said the same line as you are saying here. "bring it on the pitch and let the best team win". Unfortunately, it went out of hand here. We had witnessed racial slurs in a damn local retail store where few Iraqi Arabs worked as employee and few bar fights between Iraqi and Iranian young kids over the match and racial comments. I am aware of 3 case which one was started with a drunk Iranian kid and the other two by Iraqi guys trying to jump on Iranian girls turned to big fights and racial insults going back and fort.

[Bessos]

I don't know about you guys... but my heart says we should not hate Iraq.

That's all I have to say.

[persepolisfan]

We shouldn't be harboring any foriegn entity

[Tehranto]

Iraqis hate Iranians. Their hate is so deep. I will never forgive Iraqis for what they did and said.

[TheBoss]

we should host syria or afghanistan not iraq.

Syria was the only arab country that helped us during the war. iraqi's started that war...

[shayan_esteghlali]

haha this is the best thing that could happen, now all the iraqi fans have to stfu, they need us to host their games, so be it, let them come, treat them well, be the bigger men here.

But all those iraqi fans that were shit talking us will now have to eat their words

[TheBoss]

Has IFF said which team they plan on hosting ?!