Fathi Al-Jabali: We Will Enter with the Identity of Champions, Here to Win

Just hours before the kickoff of the first matches of the Iraqi Premier League, Air Force's head coach, Tunisian Fathi Jebali, and team captain Saad Abdul Amir spoke about the readiness of the "Saqour" to face Nawruz tomorrow at the Sulaymaniyah Stadium.

Coach Fathi Al-Jabali confirmed that taking on the coaching role at a club as significant as Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya represents a major challenge and a heightened responsibility, considering the club's history and its record of domestic and continental titles.

Al-Jabali stated: "A new mission with a big club that has championships at both the local and Asian levels. We benefited greatly from the training camp in Egypt to enhance the players' readiness, and we know that the Iraqi league is one of the strong leagues in the Arab world, with competition lasting until the very end."

Regarding tomorrow's match against Norouz, the Tunisian coach explained that his team is aware of the challenges posed by playing away in front of a large crowd, but he emphasized that the "Falcons" will not compromise their identity.

He added: "Tomorrow we face a good team playing at home in front of their fans, but we will enter the match with the identity of last season's champions, and everyone knows the history of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya. It is a pride for me and the coaching staff to be part of this great club."

Mountains concluded his remarks by emphasizing that the league journey is long and requires collective effort and continuous support, stating: "The league is long and needs everyone to come together, and the support of the fans behind the team."

Team captain Saad Abdul Amir spoke about the preparations the team underwent in Egypt, noting that the camp was ideal in every aspect.

The captain stated: "Egypt's camp was successful, and we conducted more than 25 training sessions, alongside playing several friendly matches, to assess the team's readiness before entering the league competitions."

Regarding the Nowruz match, Sadr confirmed that the team has reached the highest levels of physical and technical readiness, and is looking forward to a strong start to defend last season's title.

He continued: "Our team is in perfect readiness for tomorrow's match, and Nowruz is one of the young teams that play beautiful football. Our goal is to return with a positive result from the match."

The statements from the duo, Al-Jabali and Saad Abdul Amir, send a clear message to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya fans that the team has entered the new season with a champion's mentality and the ambition to defend the title from the very first round.

The Falcons hope to translate the efforts made during their camp in Egypt into three points in the league opener, before returning to continue their journey at home in the upcoming rounds.

The match will start at 9:30 PM Baghdad time, at the Newroz Stadium in Sulaymaniyah, with a crowd expected to fill the stands for the season opener carnival.