The Rise in Player Prices in the Iraqi League Raises Concerns

The summer transfer period in the Iraqi Stars League has witnessed unprecedented activity from clubs, which are keen to strengthen their squads in preparation for the new season, but this activity, accompanied by an unprecedented rise in player prices, has raised concerns in the sports community in Iraq.

Former international player Bassam Raouf said: "The rise in the market value of players in the Iraqi league has raised concerns among many locals, coaches, and players in the sports community, because this increase will pose risks to Iraqi sports in the future. The first danger is that all athletes will focus more on football because its financial returns will be significant, while other sports will be affected to a greater extent."

He added: "The second danger from the rise in player prices lies in the reliance of many players' parents on attempts to change their children's ages in order to secure greater opportunities for them among teams, all for the sake of money. Consequently, the opportunities for many talents are now at risk of extinction, which poses a real threat to the future of Iraqi football, especially since Iraq needs talents."

He continued: "The third danger is the control of a group of intermediaries and club administrations over the market, especially since the parties benefiting from this money are mostly the club administrations due to the returns and undisclosed profit margins. Consequently, some teams will benefit from this increase, while others lacking sufficient resources will be affected, which undermines the principle of fairness and equal opportunities among teams."

Raouf pointed out the need for government intervention: "There must be control over this excessive rise in the player market, because previously you could sign a contract with an international player for $300,000, but today the price has doubled to $600,000. Therefore, it is important to activate the principle of 'where did you get this from' to ensure the integrity of buying and selling processes, which will show their negative effects in the coming years."

He concluded his remarks by addressing the impact of this situation on other sports: "Most Iraqi clubs, notably Al-Shorta, have moved to cancel their teams in other sports to focus solely on football, which has adversely affected basketball, handball, and volleyball due to the decisions of Iraqi clubs."