The Iraqi Football Association’s negotiations with Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta to take over as coach of the national team, succeeding the dismissed coach Jesus Casas, have stalled, according to an announcement by board member Mohammed Nasser.
Iraqi media reported last month that Ammouta had welcomed the opportunity to leave Al Jazira in the UAE and coach Iraq. One of the factors in his initial agreement to take over was his close relationship with the president of the Iraqi Football Association, Adnan Dirjal.
Although Ammouta’s contract with Al Jazira still has another year to run, the club has not objected to his departure at the end of the current season, after he failed to make the desired contribution in the UAE league and despite winning the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup a few weeks ago.
Why did Iraq’s negotiations with Hussein Ammouta fail?
Recent press reports indicated that Ammouta strongly wanted to coach the Iraqi national team, but the Iraqi Football Association was the reason for the failure.
The former Jordan coach set two conditions for his arrival in Baghdad: that the Iraqi Football Association contact Al-Jazeera and finalize the administrative agreements necessary to terminate his contract with the club, and that he receive an annual salary of $2 million.
The first surprise was that the Iraqi Football Association sent a request to Al-Jazeera to obtain Amouta’s services on a 45-day loan, contrary to the initial agreement that the coach would receive a contract for at least one year.
The Iraqi Football Association wanted to see whether Amouta would qualify directly from the third round of World Cup qualifiers, or whether the team would enter the play-offs. They would then decide whether to renew the contract, which the coach categorically rejected.
At the same time, Iraq refused to pay Amouta’s requested salary, not because it was too low, but because of a dire economic crisis that made meeting such a sum unaffordable at the current time.
Candidates for Iraq’s Coaching Position After Amouta Negotiations Fail
Iraqi media reported that Amouta was part of a list of three other names that had been mentioned for some time to succeed Casas.
The first name was Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, who has extensive experience in Asian football with Iran, and Arab football with Egypt and Qatar. The other name was Vahid Halilhodzic, a former coach of Morocco, Algeria, Japan, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The name of Egyptian coach Moamen Soliman, a two-time Iraqi league champion with Al-Shorta, was also mentioned. In recent hours, newspapers have been circulating the name of former Egypt national team coach Hector Cuper, who previously worked in Asia with Uzbekistan and Syria.
Mohammed Nasser, a member of the Iraqi Football Association, said, “We will hold meetings to discuss the proposed names, and we are fully aware of the responsibility placed on the committee. At the same time, we reassure the Iraqi fans that we are working hard to select a coach capable of fulfilling the aspirations of the sports community.”
It is reported that next week will witness the official announcement of the new Iraqi coach, giving him the necessary time and opportunity to prepare for the crucial period awaiting the Lions of Mesopotamia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Iraq’s Upcoming Matches
The Iraqi national team is preparing for a difficult task against South Korea on June 5th in the penultimate round of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The match will be held at Basra International Stadium. Ayman Hussein’s teammates will then travel to the Jordanian capital, Amman, to face Jordan.
Iraq is in third place in the group with 12 points, one point behind the automatic World Cup qualifiers, Jordan. South Korea leads the group with 16 points, while Oman still has a chance of securing an automatic place, sitting in third place with 10 points.
