Iraq Coach Jesus Casas confronted at AFC Asian Cup 2023 post-match press conference by journalist

AFC & Iraq Football Association jointly condemned the incident.

In the aftermath of Iraq’s unexpected exit from the AFC Asian Cup Round-of-16, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Iraq Football Association jointly condemned the “abhorrent behaviour” directed towards coach Jesus Casas during a post-match press conference.

Iraq suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to lower-ranked Jordan, conceding two goals in stoppage time. The disappointment on the field was exacerbated by a chaotic scene in the press conference room, where irate Iraqi reporters confronted Coach Casas, pointing fingers and shouting angrily before being escorted out by security. 

Casas was himself angered in Sunday’s pre-match press conference by a question about interviews he has done with Spanish media during the AFC Asian Cup. Some journalists from Iraq, the country which won the Asian title in 2007, believe the interviews distracted him from his work and were partly to blame for the defeat.

Expressing their disapproval, the Iraqi Football Association released a statement expressing “great dismay” at the incident, labelling it as more painful than the team’s undeserved exit. The statement read, “We denounce the blatant and abhorrent behaviour that occurred against the coach,” further vowing “not to deal with these media personnel who seek to cause chaos.”

Coach Casas, who took charge of Iraq in November 2022, expressed his distress over the incident, stating, “It pains me what happened.” Despite questions about his recent interviews with Spanish media being raised as a possible distraction, Casas dismissed the notion, highlighting his team’s earlier victories, including a notable win against pre-tournament favourites Japan.

The AFC swiftly responded, denouncing the unruly and aggressive behaviour and implementing a zero-tolerance stance against such actions. In a statement, the AFC declared, “The AFC strongly condemns any type of unruly and aggressive behaviour and takes a zero-tolerance stance against such actions,” further adding that they had decided to “bar the responsible individuals from covering not only the Asian Cup (in) Qatar but also future AFC tournaments.”

Meanwhile, the performance of Iranian-Australian referee Alireza Faghani came under scrutiny, particularly his decision to send off Aymen Hussein for over-celebrating. The AFC emphasised its condemnation of any threats, harassment, or disclosure of personal information targeting referees, players, officials, and all stakeholders.

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