Soccer Iraq

Type of site

| Sports journalism
Social media agency
Available in| English
URL| www.socceriraq.net
Launched| 2015

Soccer Iraq is an English-language Iraqi website and social media agency providing a variety of news, statistics and services for Iraqi football, ranging from coverage on the Iraq national football team and its players to news on the Iraq Stars League.

On 17 May 2021, Soccer Iraq partnered with Al-Shorta Sports Club to manage the club's official English-language social media profiles. On 17 May 2023, Soccer Iraq reached an agreement with the Iraq Football Association (IFA) to launch and administer new social media channels for the Iraq national football team in English.

## History

[edit]

Soccer Iraq launched on 11 March 2015 with the aim of creating an English-based website covering Iraq's national football team, the Lions of Mesopotamia,[1] as well as the domestic club competitions and the nation's foreign-based players.[2] In 2017, Soccer Iraq assisted the Iraq Football Association (IFA) in the process of verifying the IFA's official social media profiles.[3] In 2020, Soccer Iraq helped facilitate Safaa Hadi's move to the Russian Premier League by streamlining the communication of the Russian Football Union and PFC Krylia Sovetov with Al-Shorta SC regarding the completion of administrative procedures.[4]

Soccer Iraq has also been involved in research into the earliest league and cup tournaments played in Iraq.[5] Several current and former international players are in regular interaction with the website's posts on social media.[6][7][8][9][10] The website has published several interviews since its launch – most recently with Gonzalo Rodríguez García, Osama Rashid, Mohannad Abdul-Raheem, Rebin Sulaka, Lorival Santos, Marin Ion, Justin Meram and Ali Adnan.[11]

## Providing Information

[edit]

Throughout the years, Soccer Iraq has provided information regarding the Iraqi game to many major news networks and has been relied on by news organisations around the world, such as International Business Times,[12] La Gazzetta dello Sport,[13] Marca,[14] L'Equipe,[15] Goal,[16][17] Al Jazeera,[18] ESPN FC,[19] Asian Football Confederation,[20][21] Diario AS,[22] Daily Mail, Daily Express,[23] Sport.ro,[24] Major League Soccer,[25] Panorama,[26] Mundo Deportivo,[27] The Washington Post,[28] The National,[29] Fox Sports,[30][31] Transfermarkt,[32] RT, Emarat Al Youm,[33] 90min.com,[34] SPORTbible,[35] Vancouver Whitecaps FC,[36] Tuttosport,[37] Sportskeeda,[38] Football Manager,[39] Telemundo Deportes,[40] Het Nieuwsblad,[41] Corriere dello Sport,[42] Le Matin,[43] Index.hr,[44] Bola,[45] Sport1,[46] L'essentiel,[47] Vanity Fair,[48] NOS,[49] Algemeen Dagblad,[50] Thanh Niên,[51] Siol,[52] La Nación,[53] NRC Handelsblad,[54] Cumhuriyet,[55] Al Akhbar,[56] Radiotelevizija Slovenija,[57] Kurir,[58] El Comercio,[59] La República,[60] El Liberal,[61] La Prensa,[62] Koran Sindo,[63] Žurnal24,[64] DV,[65] The New Arab,[66] TyC Sports,[67] Nova Sport 1,[68] HobbyConsolas[69] and Kurdistan 24.[70]

## Partnerships

[edit]

On 17 May 2021, Iraqi club Al-Shorta SC announced on its official website that it had partnered with Soccer Iraq to manage its English-language social media profiles and streamline its digital content across all accounts. The move came after Al-Shorta's participation in Asia's top club competition, the AFC Champions League, with the club appointing Soccer Iraq due to its "six years of experience in social media and digital marketing".[71] On 29 June 2021, Al-Shorta became the first Iraqi club to receive Twitter verification, through its English-language account.[72]

On 17 May 2023, Soccer Iraq reached an agreement with the Iraq Football Association (IFA) to launch and manage official English-language social media channels for the Iraq national football team, with the IFA commending the distinctive style of Soccer Iraq's body of work in digital media and its pioneering of English-language coverage of football in the country.[73]

## Player of the Year

[edit]

Soccer Iraq launched an Iraq Player of the Year award for the first time in 2021. Mohammed Qasim Majid won the inaugural award and was congratulated by his club.[74][75]

Year  | Rank  | Player  | Position  | Points (%)

|
|
|
|

2021[76] | 1st | Mohammed Qasim | Midfielder | 59.4
2nd  | Fahad Talib | Goalkeeper  | 19.6
3rd  | Ahmed Ibrahim | Defender  | 10.6
2022[77] | 1st | Jalal Hassan | Goalkeeper | 52.2
2nd  | Aymen Hussein | Forward  | 30.2
3rd  | Manaf Younis | Defender  | 9.0
2023[78] | 1st | Ibrahim Bayesh | Midfielder | 42.9
2nd  | Ali Al-Hamadi | Forward  | 38.2
3rd  | Merchas Doski | Defender  | 5.0
2024[79] | 1st | Aymen Hussein | Forward | 34.5
2nd  | Zidane Iqbal | Midfielder  | 27.2
3rd  | Ali Jasim | Forward  | 14.0

## Goal of the Season

[edit]

Soccer Iraq launched the first ever Goal of the Season competition for the Iraqi Premier League starting from the 2016–17 season.[80] Al-Zawraa midfielder Ali Raheem won the award in both of its first two seasons.[81]

The award was succeeded by the "Iraq Stars League Goal of the Season" award from the 2023–24 season.[82][83]

Season  | Scorer  | Nationality  | For  | Against  | Stadium  | Date

|
|
|
|
|
|

Soccer Iraq Goal of the Season
2016–17 | Ali Raheem |  Iraq | Al-Zawraa | Al-Shorta | Al-Shaab Stadium | 10 May 2017
2017–18 | Ali Raheem |  Iraq | Al-Zawraa | Al-Hussein | Al-Shaab Stadium | 30 May 2018
2018–19 | Mohanad Ali |  Iraq | Al-Shorta | Al-Naft | Al-Shaab Stadium | 4 March 2019
2019–20 | Saad Abdul-Amir |  Iraq | Al-Shorta | Al-Minaa | Al-Shaab Stadium | 7 March 2020
2020–21 | Joseph Nathaniel |  Nigeria | Al-Hudood | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Shaab Stadium | 13 February 2021
2021–22 | Alaa Abbas |  Iraq | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Karkh | Al-Shaab Stadium | 20 October 2021
2022–23 | Ameer Sabah |  Iraq | Al-Shorta | Naft Maysan | Maysan Olympic Stadium | 15 July 2023
Iraq Stars League Goal of the Season
2023–24 | Bassam Shakir |  Iraq | Al-Shorta | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | Al-Kut Olympic Stadium | 23 November 2023

## Team of the Decade

[edit]

In late 2019, Soccer Iraq commemorated the end of the 2010s with the Soccer Iraq Team of the Decade which was voted for by fans over a two-month period via a series of Twitter polls. After several thousands of votes, 28 players were narrowed down to the final eleven and the team was revealed on 31 December 2019.[84] The selection of Mohanad Ali in the Team of the Decade was discussed by the official Asian Football Confederation broadcast during Iraq's match with Iran in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[85]

2010–2019[86]
Goalkeeper  | Defenders  | Midfielders  | Forwards

|
|
|

* Noor Sabri

* Ali Adnan
* Ahmed Ibrahim
* Ali Rehema
* Alaa Mhawi

* Hawar Mulla Mohammed
* Nashat Akram
* Saad Abdul-Amir
* Humam Tariq

* Younis Mahmoud
* Mohanad Ali

## References

[edit]

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4. ^ "More Than A Game: Football In Iraq". Sideline Scouted. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
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8. ^ "Osama Rashid is off the mark in this season's Liga Portugal". 1 November 2019.
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11. ^ "Soccer Iraq – Interviews".
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48. ^ "La favola dei calciatori dell'Ostersund, che vincono grazie a letture, mostre e balletti". Vanity Fair. 27 October 2017.
49. ^ "Barcelona en Benfica scoren niet • knotsgekke slotfase bij Young Boys-Atalanta". Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 23 November 2021.
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51. ^ "Các đối thủ cùng bảng tuyển Việt Nam chạy đà cho Asian Cup 2019". Thanh Niên. 25 December 2018.
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57. ^ "Na derbiju Irak – Iran brez zadetkov". Radiotelevizija Slovenija.
58. ^ "PENAL SERIJA O KOJOJ BRUJI SVET: Golman dobio crveni karton, igrač odbranio šut vredan Svetskog prvenstva". Kurir. 19 June 2023.
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71. ^ "Al-Shorta SC partners with Soccer Iraq for English language service". Al-Shorta SC. 17 May 2021.
72. ^ "Al-Shorta SC account verified". Al-Shorta SC. 29 June 2021.
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74. ^ "Mohammed Qasim is named Player of the Year by @SoccerIraq". Al-Shorta SC. 1 January 2022.
75. ^ "محمد قاسم يفوز بجوائز أفضل لاعب لعام ٢٠٢١". Al-Shorta. 1 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05.
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77. ^ "Jalal Hassan is the Soccer Iraq Player of the Year for 2022". Soccer Iraq. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
78. ^ "Vote for Iraq's Player of the Year for 2023". Soccer Iraq. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
79. ^ "Vote for Iraq's Player of the Year for 2024". Soccer Iraq. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
80. ^ "Soccer Iraq – Domestic Seasons". Archived from the original on 2022-07-30. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
81. ^ "Alaa Abbas wins the #SoccerIraq Goal of the Season". Soccer Iraq. 13 July 2022.
82. ^ "أجملُ عشرة أهدافٍ على لائحةِ التَصويتِ الجماهيريّ.. اختر واحداً ليكون the best الموسم الماضي" (in Arabic). Iraq Stars League. 31 August 2024.
83. ^ "أجملُ عشرة أهدافٍ على لائحةِ التَصويتِ الجماهيريّ.. اختر واحداً ليكون the best الموسم الماضي" (in Arabic). Iraq Stars League. 31 August 2024.
84. ^ "Soccer Iraq Team of the Decade Revealed". Soccer Iraq. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
85. ^ "#AsianQualifiers - Full Match - Group A - Iraq vs Islamic Republic of Iran". AFC Asian Cup. 7 September 2021.
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