Graham Arnold clarifies his relationship with Younis Mahmoud

Australian coach Graham Arnold has firmly and strongly responded to recent reports about Younis Mahmoud, the president of the Iraq Football Association, interfering in his work and selecting the lineup during the Iraq Stars League matches in the Gulf Cup "Gulf 27" held in Saudi Arabia.

Iraq drew 1-1 with Oman in their opening match of the tournament on Wednesday, where the coach faced harsh criticism from Iraqi fans who expressed their dissatisfaction with his tactical choices and his failure to rely on professional players in Europe.

Arnold stated in media remarks: "What is being said about me listening to Younis Mahmoud regarding the call-up of unfit players is completely false, and I advise Iraqi fans not to listen to those who promote these false talks. There is absolutely no problem between him and me, and my relationship with him is very good. I believe these matters should not be discussed as they have no basis in truth."

The Australian coach spoke about the match against Oman: "In the match against Oman, we deserved to win by four goals. We took 15 shots and created 10 clear chances compared to just one opportunity for the opponent. We were the better team by a clear and significant margin, but what saddened me was the lack of the final touch and not taking advantage of the opportunities that came our way. This is football; when you don't score, you concede goals, and a draw is not a bad result at all at the beginning of the journey."

Arnold revealed the real reason behind not involving professional players, saying: "I presented the match to the players and showed them the quality of their performance, and I thank them for what they provided despite the fact that we only had one day to prepare. We arrived on Sunday and only had a recovery session and another training session before the match, while the Oman national team had been in their camp for 6 days, and certainly these details are very influential in determining the results."

He added: "I did not include the professional players because they arrived on Monday evening, just two days before the match, while the players from the Iraq Stars League were more acclimated to the atmosphere and the hot and humid weather. Additionally, the difference in the training ground compared to the match pitch led to some muscle cramps among certain players, and thus some substitutions were necessary to maintain the team's rhythm and control of the match."

Arnold concluded his remarks by talking about the upcoming match against Kuwait, saying: "We are now preparing to win against Kuwait, and the players will be ready physically, tactically, and mentally. Mustafa Saadoon and Mohammed Qassim are not suffering from any issues and will be ready, while Akam Hashem's final status is still pending. My message to the Iraqi fans is to continue supporting and cheering for us, as the players have performed well despite the short preparation period and the difficult match conditions."