Al-Qasim Club team played its match against its rival Al-Kahrabaa Club in the eighth round of the Iraqi Stars League with only eight players, due to the dire circumstances the team is going through this season.

Al-Qasim team is at the bottom of the Iraqi league standings, having earned only one point from eight matches, a position that reflects the difficult situation the team faces amid the lack of financial support.

Sources said: "The management of Al-Qasim Club had previously received promises from the local government in Babil Governorate in Iraq, which is responsible for funding the club, to pay the team's dues soon. These promises have been ongoing since the start of the Iraqi league competition until today, but the patience of the players and administrators has run out."

They added: "After completing seven league matches, the players informed the administration and coaching staff that they would no longer attend training sessions and decided to strike, with this decision being open-ended until the overdue payments of five months are settled, which further complicated the situation inside the team."

They explained: "The management of Al-Qasim Club spoke with the coaching staff led by coach Hassan Hadi and discussed with him the mechanism to finish the match with the least possible damage. The coach emphasized the necessity of playing the match to avoid some financial fines and administrative penalties, so they resorted to players from the club’s youth and junior teams."

They continued: "The coach succeeded in convincing only eight players, including the goalkeeper, to officially play the match against Al-Kahrabaa, who played with minimal effort as they did not want to deepen the wounds of their guest, content with trying to finish the match with the lowest possible score. The first half ended with Al-Kahrabaa leading 2-0 at the 30th minute."

They added: "After half an hour into the match, one of Al-Qasim’s players collapsed on the ground and confirmed his inability to continue the match, prompting referee Mohammed Salah to end the match with a win for Al-Kahrabaa. Thus, the Al-Qasim delegation returned to their city, avoiding administrative penalties that could have been imposed in case of withdrawal or refusal to play the match."