Today, Iraq will be in the heart of the FIFA Congress Agenda in Bogota, Colombia.
On the table: the efforts to lift the international ban on the country to host official matches on home soil. Iraq has been striving to improve their facilities, security conditions, and general standards of a profesional football scenario.
Iraq haven’t hosted an official match since 2013, but from last June have seen few national teams to play at their brand new and modern stadiums. Jordan, Kenya and Saudi Arabia already arrived, while Qatar & Syria will take part in a triangular tournament this month, on March 22nd-27th.
Football in Iraq became a solid ground in regional politics lately, as Saudi Arabia declared its intentions to build a 100,000 seats stadium in Baghdad, the capital, who have been familiar in recent years with an intense Iranian influence.
The ability to host official international matches has been alerted as highly important for Iraqi football development, and the decision that will be taken in the FIFA Congress could be a crucial one: Will Iraqi football flourish, fulfill its potential and rise to where it should, or whether it will continue to suffer from the politics, the terror and instability of different militants, general and the Saudi-Iranian conflict. Millions are already praying.