[gossip board] sports: Enrique’s first assistant Casas arrives in Baghdad to coach Iraq

November 05-according to Sports Weekly, Casas, the first assistant to Spanish national team coach Enrique, arrived in Baghdad yesterday (November 4) local time and will officially sign a four-year contract with the Iraqi Football Association to become the head coach of the Iraqi national team and lead the team to prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifier.
After the semi-finals of the Qatar World Cup qualifier in March this year, the temporary local coach Abdul Ghani officially ended his contract, leaving the Iraqi national team uncoached. The Iraqi Football Association said at the time that the new head coach would take office before the end of May to begin preparations for the 2023 Asian Cup. However, with the forced relocation of the 2023 Asian Cup, the selection of coaches of the Iraqi Football Association has been slow to make substantial progress. Rijal, president of the Iraqi Football Association, has repeatedly stressed: we must hire high-level foreign teachers to coach the Iraqi national team, and we must no longer hire local Iraqi coaches!
​ in August this year, the Iraqi Football Association organized a delegation to Spain and reached a memorandum of cooperation with the Spanish Football Association. During this period, the president of the Football Association, Rijal, personally led a delegation and asked the Spanish Football Association to recommend suitable candidates. As a result, Casas, the first assistant to the Spanish national team who just left the Spanish national team in February this year, was lucky enough to enter the field of vision of the Iraqi Football Association, and began negotiations, and finally reached an agreement in late October. Among them, one of the most important requirements is that as head coach, Casas must live in Iraq and watch Iraqi leagues. As for the reform of the Iraqi domestic football league, the Spanish Football Association is also responsible for helping to plan and draft the plan. It is reported that Casas accepted the request of the Iraqi Football Association. On November 2, a spokesman for the Iraqi Football Association officially announced that the Iraqi Football Association has reached an agreement with Jesus Casas, who will officially become head coach of the Iraqi national team. “Casas will arrive in Baghdad soon.” and signed a formal contract with the Iraqi Football Association. According to the previous agreement between the two sides, the new national team coaching staff will be personally selected by Casas himself, with a total of five assistants, including a goalkeeper coach, a physical fitness coach, a technical analyst and two teaching assistants. ” On the 4th, Casas and his teaching assistant team arrived in Baghdad smoothly.
According to the plan, after signing a contract with the Iraqi Football Association in Baghdad, Casas will watch the training of the Iraqi national team and then return to Spain. as the Iraqi national team will go to Spain to participate in the two warm-up matches against Mexico and Ecuador, Casas will not take part in directing the match, but will watch it as a spectator. After that, the Iraqi national team will return to Baghdad and continue to take part in two warm-up matches against Costa Rica and Venezuela on November 17 and 21, respectively. Only then will Casas accept the Iraqi national team.
Since the 1st of this month, the Iraqi national team has started training in Baghdad under the command of Shanaishr, and a total of 34 players have been gathered this time. This is also the full start of the Iraqi national team’s preparation for the 2023 Asian Cup and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and in early January next year, Iraq will host the biennial Gulf Cup at home. Casas can really build a new Iraq team according to his own vision.