Iraq wants FIFA to lift home matches ban

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) wants FIFA to end its ban imposed on it hosting official matches following a series of incidents at a 2014 World Cup qualifier in April last September, GOAL.com reported.

Iraq was forced to play its final two third round World Cup qualifiers in neutral Doha, after FIFA banned them from hosting official games following power outages and safety concerns in the clash against Yemen in the region of Kurdistan.

The IFA will have president Najed Hamoud fly to Zurich to meet a FIFA president Sepp Blatter in mid-April to discuss a series of matters, including this topic.

IFA vice president Abdel Khaleq Massoud said: "We are seeking to convince FIFA to lift the ban on our national team playing in our stadium, and will present FIFA officials evidence proving our ability to host games ... according to the rules of FIFA."