Today, Monday, a group of Iraqi journalists tried to attack the Iraqi national team coach, Jesus Casas, during the press conference, after the 16th round match of the Asian Football Cup, which they lost to Jordan (2-3).
The Spanish coach was the target of much criticism after Iraq's exclusion, as many Iraqi reporters strongly targeted Casas, accusing him of conducting multiple interviews with the Spanish media during the competition, instead of focusing on the competition.
“None of the coaches of the teams that reached the round of 16 give interviews before the matches. How could you think of doing that? It's a shame,” one of the reporters in the room said in an aggressive tone. According to what was reported by the Spanish news agency Efe, security guards intervened to prevent the group from approaching the Spanish coach.
The Iraqi press ended up evacuating the room, leaving only a small group of foreign journalists, before whom Jesús Casas expressed his regret for what happened and justified that the interviews he had conducted had no impact on the team’s performance.
The Spaniard also confirmed that he is not worried about his future at the helm of the Iraqi national team – which he has led since 2022 – and reiterated that the Iraqi national team's goal is to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, which will be held in the country. United States, Canada and Mexico.
For its part, the Iraqi Football Association condemned in a statement the “painful scene” it witnessed inside the press room and the “disgusting and reckless behavior against coach Casas,” stressing at the same time that legal measures would be taken to “preserve the reputation” of the Spanish coach.
“Food fanatic. Organizer. Hipster-friendly tv specialist. Avid reader. Devoted web ninja.”
