Jesus Casas, Former Candidate for South Korea's Coaching Job, Requests Salary Increase from Iraq Amid Preparation for September Qualifiers

Jesus Casas, Head Coach of Iraq National Football Team ⓒIraq Football Association

 

This is Football Bohemian Report

 

The atmosphere in Iraq remains tense regarding Jesus Casas, the head coach of the Iraq national football team, who was once considered for the head coach position of the South Korean national team. The Iraq Football Association (IFA) is trying hard to dispel rumors of any conflict with Coach Casas.

 

Jesus Casas is a Spanish coach who gained recognition among South Korean fans following the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. Having previously served as an assistant coach for the Spain national team, Casas took over the Iraqi national team in 2022 and has since worked to improve the team’s performance. His leadership is cited as one of the main reasons for Iraq's noticeable progress in the recent Asian Cup.

 

Casas was considered one of the candidates for the South Korean national team’s head coach position after Jurgen Klinsmann was dismissed. However, as widely known, the Korea Football Association (KFA) ultimately chose Hong Myung-bo to take the reins. Nevertheless, Casas will continue to be a familiar name to Korean fans as he is set to face Korea in the Asian final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America as a coach of Iraq’s ‘rival’ team.

 

Recently, news emerged of a conflict between Casas and the IFA. According to the Middle Eastern outlet Kooora, there were disputes between Casas and the IFA over his salary. Casas reportedly wants to increase his salary from $730,000 (approximately 970 million KRW) to $1 million (approximately 1.33 billion KRW). Adnan Darjal, President of the IFA, quickly moved to defuse the situation.

"There is no conflict with Coach Casas. He is dedicated to the 'Lions of Mesopotamia' (nickname for the Iraq national team) and is highly regarded by both fans and the association. We have communicated with Coach Casas to resolve any misunderstandings, and there are no obstacles currently affecting the team’s operation."
- Adnan Dirjal, President of the Iraq Football Association

 

Meanwhile, Iraq has been meticulously preparing for the final qualifying matches, even conducting overseas training. Starting today (August 25, 2024), Coach Casas has summoned 21 players for a training camp in Doha, Qatar.

 

All 21 summoned players are from the domestic Iraqi league. Consequently, key overseas players such as Ali Al-Hamadi (Ipswich Town, England), Zidane Iqbal (Utrecht, Netherlands), Ali Jasim (Como, Italy), and Ayman Hussein (Al Khor, Qatar) are not included. Coach Casas has made it clear that this 21-man squad is not the final roster for the September qualifiers; he plans to add new players or exclude those who do not meet competitive standards.

Hussein Ali, Iraq International ⓒIraq Football Association

 

Iraq will conclude its training camp in Doha by early September before hosting Oman at Basra National Stadium in the opening match of Group B of the North and Central America World Cup Asian final qualifiers on September 6 at 1 a.m. (KST). They will then face Kuwait away at Jaber Al-Ahmad National Stadium in Kuwait on September 11 at 3 a.m. (KST).

 

These two matches have drawn significant interesting from South Korea, which is also competing in Group B. South Korea will face Iraq on October 15 at 8 p.m. in their first match of the final qualifiers. This period presents an excellent opportunity to closely monitor Iraq's latest tactical developments and assess their current form.

 

This has been Football Bohemian.

 

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