Nashat Akram criticises Graham Arnold after exit from Gulf Cup 27

Former Iraq star Nashat Akram has identified coach Graham Arnold as the main cause of the chaos experienced by the Iraqi national team during their participation in the Gulf Cup, specifically in their last match against Saudi Arabia, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the Green on Tuesday evening.

Iraq exited the tournament dramatically, as following their loss to Saudi Arabia, the Oman national team defeated their Kuwaiti counterparts 3-1. This resulted in the Lions of Mesopotamia being tied with the Oman national team in terms of points, goal difference, and even the fair play criteria, with each team receiving 8 yellow cards.

After Iraq and Oman drew in all criteria, the competitions committee of the Gulf Football Association decided to resort to a draw to determine which team would qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament. The draw resulted in Oman qualifying for the next round.

Nashat Akram has stated that coach Graham Arnold bears the main responsibility for the chaos that occurred with the Iraq national team. He explained: "Once the players are chosen, the group gives an impression of how they will approach the match, whether you want to attack or be cautious and defend. When you play with two players in the holding midfield and one player in the number 10 position, the team takes on an attacking shape, but when you push three players into midfield who have similar roles in the holding position, you give the impression to the group that you want to be cautious."

He added: "The coach introduced Karar Nabeel, Amir Al-Ammari, and Zaid Ismail, who are players with similar roles in the midfield and defensive midfield positions. In contrast, he excluded Mohammed Qassem, the skillful player who performed well in the previous two matches, thus giving the team an impression that he wants to play conservatively. He also placed Hassan Abdul Karim alone on the right flank, leaving him to face the Saudi players, and we constantly saw one or two or three Saudi players outmatching him on that side. Additionally, he positioned Saif Rasheed at the front, a young player who still needs experience."

Nashat Akram stated that the administrative side represents another important point, saying: "When we suffer from administrative failure, we must acknowledge it and try to develop our work, correct mistakes, and keep up with the surrounding system, especially since we are participating in the Gulf Championship, and the Gulf countries are advanced and developed in these aspects. We saw what happened with the Qatari national team and their objections in the match against Bahrain, and despite the objections, nothing changed, because there is management that accounts for every detail and anticipates events."

He added: "I have information that the head of the referees committee requested yesterday to meet with the Iraqi national team players to clarify the issue of warnings and the calculations related to them, but the coach refused. This is, for me, a very significant flaw in the administrative system. We have a member in the executive office, who is Sabah Qasim, the former international referee, who is a respected and academic figure, and he wanted to meet with the group to explain to the players what they have and what they owe, so that they have a clear picture of all possibilities."

During the Gulf Cup 27, Iraq collected 4 points from one win against Kuwait, a draw with Oman, and a loss to Saudi Arabia, while the Lions of Mesopotamia scored 4 goals and conceded 5 goals over 3 matches.