Iraq Football Federation restructures staff, approves youth tournament plans

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraq Football Federation held a periodic meeting in Baghdad and announced a series of technical and administrative changes, including the dismissal of the youth national team coaching staff led by Spanish coach José María Zarco for lacking the required qualifications and work permits. The federation set July for the draw of the Iraq Stars League, the country's top domestic competition, and approved an August 14 kickoff for the season. It also confirmed that Basra will host the West Asian Youth Championship, with another Iraqi city potentially selected to stage matches from one of the tournament's groups. In a broader restructuring, the federation dissolved all its working committees as well as the administrative, media and medical staff attached to the national team in order to reorganize those bodies. A three-person committee chaired by Youssef Mahmoud was formed to handle negotiations on renewing the contract of Australian head coach Graham Arnold.