SOCCER: Arnold praises Iraq’s World Cup feat after banning social media

Australian coach Graham Arnold said on Wednesday that Iraq will give everything at this year’s World Cup and embrace the chance to surprise the world.

Iraq secured their return to the World Cup finals after a 40-year absence, defeating Bolivia 2-1 in the inter-confederation playoff in Monterrey, Mexico.

Aymen Hussein scored the second-half winner to make Iraq the 48th and final team to qualify for the tournament, which will be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. Ali Al Hamadi had given Iraq an early lead in the 10th minute, but Bolivia equalized through Moises Paniagua before halftime.

Arnold, who led Australia to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will become the second Australian coach to guide two different teams to the World Cup finals.

“Before we think about facing France, I should say that I faced them before with Australia at the 2022 World Cup. We lost 4-1, but we used that experience as motivation to beat Tunisia and Denmark and reach the round of 16,” Arnold told reporters.

The Australian coach acknowledged the challenges Iraq faces amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“Everything that is going on in the Middle East made it a little bit harder,” Arnold said.

“I banned social media since the day we got here. I did not want them to think of what is going on in the Middle East because they had to focus on the job we had here.”

Arnold added that qualifying for the World Cup was a major privilege for his players.

“Iraq has nothing to lose. We must go to the World Cup with a winning mentality – that’s the only way to achieve something special. Sharing the pitch with players like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland is a great honor for our players. We respect their abilities, but we will step onto the field to try to surprise the world and showcase Iraqi football on the global stage,” he said.

Iraq will compete in Group I alongside France, Norway, and Senegal.

-Reporting by Ahmed El Ghannam in Cairo; Editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters