Passport crisis threatens Al-Shorta's trip to India

Hashim Rida, a member of the Al-Shorta board, has revealed new details and significant challenges facing Al-Shorta ahead of their anticipated Asian journey to India. Rida stated in a special interview: "It is worth mentioning that Al-Shorta will travel to India to face East Bengal FC in the second round of the AFC Champions League, with the travel date set for next Friday right after the match against Al Talaba." Rida explained the details of the crisis facing the management, saying: "The Indian club requested that the teams in their group, which includes Al-Shorta from Iraq, Al-Hussein from Jordan, and Al-Seeb from Oman, complete the passports of players, coaches, and the technical staff in general 40 days before the tournament starts, and it was supposed to be enough time to obtain the visas." He added: "The management has prepared for all matches, whether against Al-Hussein, Al-Seeb, or East Bengal, through personal relationships and continuous communication with the relevant authorities, and we have made significant efforts to secure all logistical requirements." Rida continued with clear concern: "We have suffered a lot in recent days, as the technical staff has not yet received their visas, and the seven foreign players in the team have also not obtained their visas, which puts the team in a very difficult position just 48 hours before travel." He confirmed that the management is currently intensifying its communications with the Indian embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Asian Football Confederation to find a quick solution to this problem that could deprive the team of its most important assets in the Asian match. Regarding tomorrow's match against Al Talaba in the ninth round of the Iraqi Premier League, Hashim Rida said: "All players are important, so they must get into the match atmosphere starting from tomorrow's match against Al Talaba, and it will be an open match different from the others, as it is a derby and has its own considerations." He concluded by saying: "There are some matters that should be resolved in the coming hours, and we are optimistic that the crisis will end before the travel date, and the team will be fully prepared to represent Iraq in the best possible way in the Asian event."