Iraq hosts first home game in four years following FIFA ban
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Read < 1minuteSupporters of the Iraqi national team wave their national flag during the international friendly football match between Iraq and Jordan at Basra Sports City in Basra on June 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI
Iraq hosted a football match on its home soil for the first time in four years, following a ban by world football organization FIFA.
FIFA banned any matches being held in Iraq in 2013 after a coach was killed in clashes with security forces during a match. Deteriorating security conditions in the country also contributed to the FIFA decision.
As conditions have improved in the country, FIFA allowed Iraq to host games again for a three-month probationary period. The Iraqi game against Jordan, hosted in Iraq’s southern city of Basra, was the first of those matches.
