Younis Mahmoud confirms Graham Arnold will remain and prioritises Asian Cup and World Cup

Iraqi Football Association president Younis Mahmoud confirmed on Saturday evening that coach Graham Arnold will remain in his post, stressing that the Gulf Cup is not the FA's top priority and that priority lies with the Asian Cup and the World Cup.

Mahmoud's remarks to a number of journalists came after a meeting he held with Arnold in Baghdad, which was held against the backdrop of Iraq's elimination from the 27th Gulf Cup currently being held in Saudi Arabia.

Mahmoud, speaking in colloquial Arabic, asked: "What would we apologise to the public for?" He added that the Gulf Cup is not a "wow" tournament and that the association is working on the basis of focusing on the Asian Cup and the World Cup.

He said the FA reviewed with the coach his technical report on the team's participation in Gulf Cup 27 and the events that accompanied it, stressing that the evaluation of technical staff is not made based on a single setback or failure, and that Arnold will lead the national team in upcoming commitments, most notably the four-nation international tournament scheduled in Basra.

He added that the coach clarified some of the incidents that occurred, and that the association benefited from the matches by giving young players the opportunity to appear and participate. Commenting on the loss to Saudi Arabia, he said: "It wasn't a failure — Saudi Arabia play at home in front of their fans, and perhaps some players lacked the experience; there were small details and minor mistakes that cost us the match."

Regarding his celebration after the team's late win over Kuwait, Mahmoud said the celebration was not an exaggeration but a reaction to the fighting spirit and the great effort the players showed on the field.

Mahmoud criticised what he described as an "attack" by some media channels on the issue of players, urging the media to preserve players' privacy and to leave decisions on calling up foreign-based professionals to be settled on the pitch, because those players will represent the national team in the Asian Cup in two months. Addressing the media he said: "You, as the media, are supposed to protect the players. I have no problem with you talking about me or my federation, but the players have a privacy and you must protect them because they represent you."

On the physical side, Mahmoud said the coach complained of a drop in players' physical level after the 60th minute, noting that the association contracted a specialised company to provide clubs with GPS devices to monitor physical performance and address the decline in fitness.

He also said the FA eased the situation for fans by offering concessions and financial support to help them back the national team, and that he monitors the media to extract useful lessons for the association's work.

On government support, he confirmed that the prime minister is supportive and that they will hold a meeting to explain the needs. He added that Iraq has been awarded the right to host the 28th Gulf Cup and that the hosting file will be with the prime minister to decide the venue.

On refereeing and the league, Mahmoud said the association is working to bring in a strong technical committee and a senior refereeing figure to develop officiating, and that it succeeded in securing some funds and paying part of the referees' accumulated debts and dues owed over the past four years. He considered the league to be running smoothly and said clubs have progressed.

He concluded: "I work and I don't need to go out in the media to say that I did this and that, because the ultimate goal is to serve Iraq."

Iraq's participation in Gulf Cup 27 ended with a group-stage exit in a scenario described by the report as dramatic and rare, accompanied by remarks on technical errors in the performances of players and the technical and administrative staff, which provoked angry public reactions.