Duhok Club has sparked a major crisis with the Iraqi Football Federation, following the official announcement of its exclusion from participating in the upcoming edition of the AFC Champions League 2 due to "not meeting the Asian licensing requirements," which angered the club and its management, prompting them to issue a strongly worded statement accusing the licensing department of negligence and willful disregard in handling their file, confirming their intention to resort to legal avenues both locally and internationally.

The club confirmed in its statement that its file was complete and submitted within the legal deadline that ended on April 15, but it did not receive any official response or clarification from the licensing director of the Iraqi Federation regarding the rejection, nor even a notification of the right to appeal, which the club considered a clear violation of the Asian licensing system, which grants clubs 15 days to correct or complete their files after being notified of rejection.

The statement read: "Despite submitting the file on time, we were not notified of any decision from the Asian Federation or from the local licensing director, and our club was not given the opportunity to submit an appeal or rectify any deficiencies, which is a serious administrative failure."

Duhok pointed out that the club's licensing director was newly appointed, and it would have been more appropriate for the licensing department to provide him with support and guidance instead of ignoring his inquiries and failing to communicate with him clearly, adding: "They refrained from communicating with us transparently, which violates all professional standards."

The statement continued: "We possess all official correspondence and documented conversations that prove our full compliance with legal and administrative requirements, and the absence of official responses from the licensing department is the real reason behind our unjust exclusion."

In an escalatory tone, Duhok Club considered what happened to be "willful neglect and possibly intentional," confirming that it is in the process of taking decisive legal steps, stating: "We at Duhok Club affirm that what has occurred represents deliberate neglect and failure, and there may be an actor behind it aimed at obstructing the club's progress and harming it and its fans by depriving it of continental entitlement without warning or legal right to appeal."

The club announced its intention to approach local and international courts to sue everyone who caused or contributed to this "serious malfunction," affirming that it will resort to all legal means to protect its rights and the rights of its fans, and to recover the Asian participation that it described as "stolen."

The Iraqi Football Federation had announced the selection of Al-Zawraa Club to represent Iraq in the AFC Champions League 2 instead of Duhok, which heightened the tension within the Duhok club and its fans, who demanded accountability for those responsible for the file.

The file remains open to all possibilities, in light of the official and legal escalation announced by Duhok, which warns of a new confrontation that may reach the halls of the Iraqi Football Federation before the judiciary.