Football fans have been reacting strongly to the Iraqi Football Association’s complaint following their match against the Palestinian national team in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, held at Amman International Stadium on the 25th of this month.
In the previous round of the qualifiers, the Palestinian team managed to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory over Iraq, intensifying the race for the second direct qualification spot to the World Cup, with Jordan (13 points), Iraq (12 points), and Oman (10 points) all vying for the spot with just two rounds remaining.
The Iraqi Football Association attributed the complaint, in a statement, to “chants with offensive, racist, and political language,” which created a hostile environment within the stadium, negatively impacting the spirit of fair play and mutual respect between players and fans.
The Iraqi association also accused stadium officials of allowing spectators to enter the match a few minutes after the game had started, which led to the escalation of political and racist chants. Additionally, they mentioned threats faced by the Iraqi team and its supporters from the present crowd.
Iraq has called on both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA to move their upcoming match against Jordan in June (part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers) to a neutral venue or to hold the game without spectators “to protect the Iraqi national team.”
In response, the Jordanian Football Association denied the accusations, claiming that the video showing the fans’ chants was “manipulated.”
