Iraq confirm appointment of former Socceroos boss Arnold
Arnold's appointment was announced on social media on Friday by the Iraq Football Association, which published photographs of the 61-year-old being welcomed in Baghdad by officials from the national body.
"We are delighted to announce Graham Arnold as the new head coach of the Iraq national team," the federation said in a post on Instagram. "Welcome to the Lions of Mesopotamia!"
Arnold replaces Jesus Casas at the helm after the Spaniard's departure in the wake of a 2-1 loss to Palestine in March during the third round of Asia's qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
That result left the Iraqis in third place in the standings in Group B, four points adrift of leaders South Korea and one behind the Jordanians.
The first two finishers in each of Asia's three qualifying groups advance automatically for the World Cup while the teams in third and fourth progress to another round of preliminaries.
Arnold's first game in charge will be in Basra on June 5 against the Koreans before he takes his new team to Amman to face Jordan five days later. Iraq are attempting to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
The appointment sees Arnold return to international management more than seven months after standing down as Australia head coach.
Arnold, who led the Australians to the knockout rounds of the 2022 World Cup during a six-year spell in charge, quit after an uninspired start to the current phase of qualifying when his side lost to Bahrain and drew with Indonesia in September.
He was replaced by Tony Popovic, the former Western Sydney Wanderers coach who has taken the Socceroos to second place in Group C of Asia's qualifiers ahead of games against Japan and Saudi Arabia in June.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
06-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Mason Greenwood edges closer to a return to international football FIVE years on from his last England cap - as ex-Man United star secures huge breakthrough
Mason Greenwood has been granted Jamaican citizenship, making him eligible to represent the country on the pitch, as the winger weighs up whether to make a return to international football. It has now been five years since Greenwood, 23, earned his solitary cap for England, while still a Manchester United player, with the then youngster banished from the senior side after footage emerged of the pair bringing girls back to the team hotel in Iceland. The forward hasn't represented England at any international level since In January 2022, he was arrested for allegations of attempted rape, assault, and coercive behaviour. The charges were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, a year later, following the 'withdrawal of key witnesses and new material coming to light'. Now, Greenwood has a decision to make. The Marseille winger, who permanently left Old Trafford for the south of France last summer, can now switch allegiances to play for the Jamaica national team. With his Jamaican citizenship now secured, Greenwood has been granted permission to join the Jamaica Football Federation from the English FA, and could be available to play as soon as next month in the country's World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago. Mason Greenwood has secured Jamaican citizenship making him eligible to play for the country Greenwood, 23, has not played international football since his one and only cap for England in 2020 Jamaica boss Steve McClaren has been keen on bringing the winger to the national set up FIFA's rules state that if a player has accrued fewer than three competitive caps for a country when under the age of 21, they can change nationalities. They also need to have been eligible for the new country when playing for their initial nation. As Greenwood was just 19 years old when he made his senior debut for England, he meets the criteria. Jamaica manager Steve McClaren made it clear that he wanted Greenwood within his ranks earlier this year, and it appears he may be about to get his wish. 'We are in contact all the time, with him and his family,' McClaren explained in March. 'I am very confident he only wants to play for Jamaica. It is up to him when he moves forward with that. The ball is in his court.' McClaren has been keen to bring UK-born players into the Jamaican national set-up, with Michail Antonio one of the high-profile players to have switched allegiances back in 2021, before the former England boss' arrival. Brentford's Rico Henry is another of the stars that they are pushing to recruit as they push to build a strong squad in order to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but he is yet to commit to the 'Reggae Boyz'. Greenwood is yet to make a full decision on his future, but it appears that he is keen to make the switch. Meanwhile, at club level, Greenwood is set to stay put after scoring 22 goals and bagging six assists during a successful first season on the pitch at the Ligue 1 side. McClaren has been pushing to recruit UK-born players and Jamaica already have Michail Antonio (left) and Bobby De Cordova-Reid (middle) in their team Jamaica are trying to convince Rico Henry to switch allegiances but the Brentford man hasn't yet committed to doing so 'Greenwood will stay with us. He is not for sale,' Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia told 365Scores Arabia. 'We want to keep him and consider him a key part of OM's project for the upcoming season. 'In Saudi Arabia, I had a team-mate who had played with him in Spain and told me he was a phenomenon. I'm happy he's with us.'
The Sun
06-08-2025
- The Sun
Cocky cyclist sparks violent pile up after celebrating too early and shattering bike to pieces BEFORE finish line
THIS is the embarrassing moment a cocky cyclist celebrated too early and crashed before the finish line. The incident happened at the Iraqi Cycling Championships in Erbil. 4 4 4 Cyclists from more than 20 clubs featured in an individual race at the junior event. The action was coming to an end in routine fashion as a rider dressed in orange cruised to victory. But as he lifted his arms up prematurely in celebration, he began to wobble. The bike began to shake and the youngster then lost control as the wheel appeared to fall off. He tumbled to the floor and skidded across the road just metres from the finish line. The two riders behind managed to avoid him and the former clinched a shock win. But their rival set to take home bronze could not get out the way and he was wiped out in a crash. The horror scenes saw him thrown down the track and his bike did backflips all the way across the finish. While he sat on the road in disbelief, his leg were beyond the all-important finish line. But a little-known rule states riders must have their hands on the handlebars at all times, meaning he was out the contest. Fans reacted to the chaotic race ending, saying: "There is a lesson to be learned here."
Daily Mail
06-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Cocky cyclist hit with instant karma after celebrating race win metres from the finish line - as bike shatters into pieces
An over-confident cyclist suffered instant karma just metres from the finishing line in Iraq, having celebrated what appeared to be a certain victory a little too early. The incident took place during the final stage of the Iraqi Cycling Championships, which had more than 20 cycling clubs representing capital Baghdad and the rest of the governorates. A statement from Central Cycling Federation said that Al-Saniya Club won the overall individual race for the junior category, which was over a distance of 45km, followed by Al-Nidhal Clu. Third place went to Erbil Club. But the main takeaway from the race was the chaotic ending, which saw a cocky rider collapse to the floor. The star, as seen in footage shared by Barlaman Today, was a good few metres ahead of their competitors, and was rapidly closing in on the line when the realisation kicked in that they were set to be the victor. In response, they sat up in their seat, putting their hands out as if to begin their celebrations - but things didn't last long. The leading competitor in a cycling race in Erbil, Iraq began celebrating victory too early. As he lifted his arms in triumph before crossing the finish line, he lost balance and fell, allowing another cyclist to overtake him and claim first place. #ErbilRaceFail #TooSoonVictory — Barlaman Today (@BarlamanToday) August 4, 2025 A cocky cyclist suffered instant karma after celebrating what looked like an inevitable race win too early Within seconds, the rider lost their balance and their bike collapsed beneath them as they hit the deck with the chasing pack closing in at pace. As the rider's bike fell apart, other competitors scrambled to avoid them on the floor, with one dodging the bike but hitting the rider themselves and flying over the handlebars. They did manage to cross the line, seemingly in third, and, luckily, didn't appear in too much pain. Two other riders managed to dodge the obstacles, crossing the line, while spectators ran onto the road to try and order other riders to avoid those injured. They all managed to do just that, before more spectators ran on to help those who had fallen, with the two riders sat on the floor in pain.
