Yunus Mahmud Elected President of Iraq Football Association in Baghdad

Yunus Mahmud was elected president of the Iraq Football Association in Baghdad on Monday, winning 38 votes in a leadership contest that places him at the center of the country’s next football administration. Former president Adnan Dirjal received 20 votes, while the third candidate, Ayad Bunyan, won one vote. Saramad Abdulilah and Muhammed Nasir were also appointed as the federation’s first and second vice presidents, completing the new leadership slate. After the vote, the new board members said they would work jointly to develop Iraqi football and support the national teams in the coming period. Imad Yassin, one of the highest vote-getting board members, said the board’s administrative and sporting experience would be critical to achieving its goals and that the new team would operate with a collective spirit. Representatives from the sports community said the election process was transparent and fair, and voiced expectations that the new administration would continue the development strategy of the previous term. General assembly members said the new leadership should work with a clear strategy, while the assembly would continue to play its support and oversight role to help raise the standard of football. Kovend Abdulkhaliq, who withdrew from the vice-presidency race at the request of clubs from the Kurdistan Region, said he believed the new period under Yunus Mahmud would bring tangible progress to Iraqi football.