Iraq regain confidence ahead of Asian Cup draw

Posted Wednesday, April 21, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Iraq’s poor form on the pitch has only been matched by its epic troubles off the field in the four years since its stunning wins over Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia earned an unlikely Asian Cup title for the war-torn country.

Iraq endured a five-month ban from international football over allegations of political interference in the running of the sport, and has dumped two coaches over their failure to qualify for the World Cup and the dismal performance in the Gulf Cup.

But now, ahead of the draw for the 2011 Asian Cup edition on Friday, and with veteran Serbian Bora Milutinovic settling in as manager, there’s a sense of renewed optimism in Iraq that the national team can repeat as Asian champions.

“We want our team to appear in its previous brilliant status,” Iraqi Olympic Committee official Adel Fadhil said. “It is a matter of Iraq’s name and reputation of our country. We have done all our best for this ambition.”

Milutinovic has led five different teams at World Cups. His immediate job, however, will be a defense of the Asian Cup. As champion, Iraq didn’t have to qualify, nor did finalist and three-time winner Saudi Arabia nor South Korea, which beat Japan in a third-place playoff last time.

But the break from Asian Cup qualifiers didn’t help Iraq or Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifying. That wasn’t an excuse for three-time Asian champion Iran, though, which also failed to make it to South Africa 2010.

The Middle Eastern powerhouses are aiming to kick off their preparations for next World Cup cycle with strong performances at the Jan. 7-29 Asian Cup in Doha.

Australia, accused of taking the competition too lightly in 2007 in its first foray into the Asian Cup after joining the continental confederation after the 2006 World Cup, is the top-ranked country in the region and is among the favorites among the 16 nations competing in Doha.

The Socceroos were surprisingly eliminated in the quarterfinals four years ago and are expected to improve on that, but will be in a state of change following the departure of coach Pim Verbeek, who is quitting after the World Cup for a job in Morocco.

Nashat Akram and Younis Mahmoud, part of the Iraq team which beat Australia in the group stage en route to winning the last Asian Cup, and then Saudi Arabia captain Yasser Al Qahtani agreed ahead of the player of the year awards in 2007 that the star-studded Socceroos were under prepared and over confident.

Over confidence won’t be a problem this time. But there is no shortage of teams keen to challenge Australia for its place as the top-ranked team in Asia.

Among them are South Korea and Japan, both of which also have qualified for the World Cup and are the only other Asian teams besides Australia ranked in the top 50.

South Korea, which beat Japan in a penalty shootout to finish third in the 2007 edition, has solidified its place over the years as one Asia’s best teams. It has been a regular at World Cups and made a stunning run to the semifinals in 2002, when it co-hosted football’s marquee event with Japan.

But the Asian Cup is not the primary focus for the moment in South Korea, where most talk is around the World Cup. Coach Huh Jung-moo said he is optimistic his team will reach the round of 16 in South Africa with a team anchored by Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung. Still, the defense has been a question mark, as has the indifferent play of its veteran goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae.

Japan, a three-time Asian Cup winner, would be a favorite to reach the final stages but it has struggled of late to score goals. Japan fared poorly in the four-nation East Asian Championship, finishing third behind surprise winner China and rival South Korea.

Japanese fans, usually loyal and reserved, spared the team’s domestic-based players but booed the 53-year-old coach Takeshi Okada off the field after a 3-1 loss to South Korea and held up signs calling for his immediate resignation.

China, too, is hoping to shake off past embarrassments and show that its no longer the perennial underachiever of Asian football. China has endured scandals in its domestic league and dismal performances on the international stage since qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. But recently, it has shown signs of a resurgence after winning the East Asian Championship.

New coach Gao Hongbo has vowed the 97th-ranked team would qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Associated Press writer Hamid Ahmed in Baghdad contributed to this report.