With about fortnight to go for Team Melli’s match against Iraq, FIFA and the Iraqi football federations have insisted that the security situation in southern city of Basra is safe enough to play the FIFA World Cup qualifier game, despite the continued deadly clashes and demonstrations that have resulted in as many as 230 deaths in Iraq.
in the latest news , Umm Qasr commodities port near Basra was closed after protesters blocked its entrance, port employees and local officials said. Early Thursday, Iraqi officials said a cartoonist and his wife who had been participating in the protests were shot and killed in their home in Basra by unknown assailants. More than a year ago, Basra was rocked by mass unrest and the situation there remains volatile and could erupt at any time.
It is also worth mentioning that Iraqi club Al Zawraa’s fans attacked Zob Ahan players in a match that was played in Karbala Stadium. The security was pathetic allowing many fans to jump the fences unopposed.
It seems that FIFA and AFC security policies have selective criterion and decide the status upon factors like politics, lobbying and other power-play rather than purely safety situation concerns. For example, Iran is deemed to be an unsafe place for Saudi Arabian teams but safe for other countries including UAE teams. If you have followed the politics of the region, you would certainly know that Saudi Arabia and UAE are the axes of evils that have been venting hostility against Iran including supporting and encouraging American military attacks against targets in Iran. The media of both countries are obvious tools of such hostilities and aggressions.
Despite its charters that prohibit political interference in football, FIFA is an organization where political influences in its governance are widespread and that has been marred by corruption. Powerful federations make their own rules and exceptions in the corridor of power in Zurich. Those Petrodollar countries with strong lobbies get the support and votes against lessor capable members or those who do not offer inducements. In other words, FIFA does not necessarily provide a level playing field.
The current Iran football federation lacks the status, competency and skills to be a strong member of AFC and FIFA and as such, it can be easily overlooked and ignored. FFIRI is a weak organization at best, hardly has any clout in FIFA and AFC with very few allies in both organizations. With so much organizational failures by FFIRI including but not limited to weak representations, poor international relation, it is not a surprise that the sharks can devour its rights. A good example is the approximate 12 Million dollars owed to the FFIRI that is still pending with FIFA and AFC.
The city of Basra is and has been volatile. The Iraqi league has been suspended, Arabian Clubs Championship match between the Algerian AlMawloodiya vs Iraq’s Quwa Al Jawiya has been postponed, while AFC has postponed the qualifications rounds of Youth Age tournament due to the suspect security situation. Despite all that, it seems all is good for Iran’s Team Melli to play without any concerns. To complicate the situation even further, Iraqi demonstrators had expressed strong anti-Islamic Republic sentiments in Basra and Karbala.