Ghalib Al-Zamli, a member of the Iraqi Football Association, confirmed that the federation has decided to quickly finalize the appointment of a new head coach for the national team, noting that any delay would work against the team in its upcoming matches against South Korea and Jordan.
In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, Al-Zamli explained that attention is currently focused on four qualified Iraqi coaches: Hakim Shaker, Radi Shanishil, Abdul‑Ghani Shahid, and Basim Qasim. “They are all capable,” he said, adding that the federation will make its choice soon.
Al-Zamli added that appointing a local coach is preferable at this time, as players would struggle to adapt quickly to a foreign coach—especially given the need for translation. Therefore, the federation favors contracting a home‑grown coach to lead the team in the next phase.
He also confirmed that the FA will settle the financial matters with former coach Jesús Casas as soon as possible—Casas left Iraq without notifying the federation—and that any outstanding payments will be handled through his appointed agent if he does not return.
Regarding Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta, who had been considered to lead the team, Al-Zamli said he was ruled out due to his existing $3.5 million contract with UAE’s Al‑Jazira Club.
Last week, the Iraqi FA officially dismissed Spanish coach Jesús Casas following a string of poor results, the latest being a 2–1 loss to Palestine in the eighth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers.
