International defender Akam Hashim bid farewell to Al-Shorta with an emotional message after officially transferring to Al-Zawraa to represent them in the upcoming season, coming from the Green Lantern, in one of the most controversial transfers this summer.

He said: "Today, I closed a chapter of the most beautiful pages of my football life; I left while the club is at the top, a champion of the league as it deserves."

He added: "Al-Shorta embraced me, believed in me, and gave me the opportunity to be part of its glorious history, and words cannot express what I feel inside."

The player, who was one of the key pillars of the backline in the Al-Shorta squad, tried to express his gratitude to the club that nurtured him and accompanied him through the most significant stages of his career so far, but despite his calm and appreciative words, his departure did not go unnoticed.

Al-Shorta fans received the news of his transfer with great anger, considering that his signing with Al-Zawraa is a betrayal of the trust and affection they placed in him during the past seasons, especially after his active contribution to winning the Iraqi Stars League title.

Akam Hashim officially signed his transfer contract to Al-Zawraa today, in a deal led by Al-Zawraa's president Haidar Shanshul, which took place in Erbil, after the player caught the attention of the coaching staff led by Abdul Ghani Shahed, who was keen to include him as part of the project to restore the team's prestige at both local and continental levels.