The vice president of the Iraqi Football Association, former international star Younis Mahmoud, confirmed that he had suggested appointing coach Abdul Ghani Shahid to lead the Iraqi national team, pointing out that the coach's previous experience with the "Lions of Mesopotamia" was successful and deserves another opportunity.

Mahmoud said in media statements:

"I requested the federation to appoint Abdul Ghani Shahid as the coach of the national team, because he succeeded in his previous term, and if I were the decision-maker at that time, I would have chosen a local coach."

He added:

"The star is always subjected to pressure, and this is something natural in the sports environment. As for the choice of coach, I believe this task should be entrusted to the national teams department, because the one who has the most experience in this field is Captain Adnan Darjal."

Younis continued his discussion, clarifying his viewpoint on the decision-making mechanism within the federation:

"If there were an effective technical committee within the federation, the choice of coach would have been much better, because collective work within committees gives decisions a specialized and precise nature."

He concluded his remarks by stating that the president of the federation, Adnan Darjal, has extensive experience in the national teams file, confirming that there is great confidence in him in this aspect, while emphasizing the need to organize the selection mechanism in the future through specialized committees to ensure the best decision is made.