Baghdad: The President of the Iraqi Football Association, Adnan Dirjal, expressed his high thanks and appreciation on Saturday to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for their great understanding of the electoral process, and their issuance of a joint decision to suspend the elections and form a fact-finding committee that will visit Iraq next September.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Dirjal called on everyone to focus on creating the appropriate climate and means for the national teams, especially as the national team is preparing to participate in the global play-off to qualify for the triple World Cup. He emphasized the need for the national teams to strengthen their continental presence in the coming period to achieve the desired results, urging the rejection of differences and a serious preparation to create the appropriate atmosphere to realize the dream of the large Iraqi masses.
The Iraqi Football Association received an official letter on Saturday from FIFA regarding the elections scheduled for September 16. Three candidates have submitted their candidacies to run for the Iraqi Football Association presidency: Adnan Dirjal, the current president of the association, his deputy Younis Mahmoud, and Iyad Baniyan, the former head of the interim committee to manage the association.
Dirjal, who was also the head of the electoral appeals committee, was dismissed from his position after the voting closed, a move rejected by the Iraqi Ministry of Justice. The FIFA letter highlighted the various correspondence and complaints received from the Iraqi Football Association and several members of its executive committee over the past weeks concerning the ongoing electoral processes.
FIFA and the AFC, after conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the documents and information provided, noted serious concerns regarding the work, composition, and independence of the Electoral Committee and the Appeals Committee, as well as the conduct of some electoral processes. Consequently, FIFA decided to suspend the currently scheduled electoral process and dispatch a fact-finding mission during September to hold meetings with all relevant parties and Iraqi Football Association officials to fully and accurately understand the current situation.
The statement concluded that after the completion of the mission, FIFA and the AFC will announce the appropriate steps and guidelines to ensure that the electoral process in Iraq proceeds in full accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and with the principles of good governance, transparency, and integrity.