The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has imposed bans on journalists displaying “aggressive” behaviour towards Iraq’s coach Jesus Casas after the team’s 3-2 defeat to Jordan in the Asian Cup round of 16. Following Iraq’s elimination at the Khalifa International Stadium, some Iraqi reporters confronted Casas in a post-match press conference, shouting at him and surrounding him before being escorted out by security.
The AFC, denouncing such conduct, has taken a decisive stance, barring the responsible individuals from covering not only the ongoing Asian Cup in Qatar but also future AFC tournaments.
The Iraqi national team also released a statement distancing themselves from the aggressive journalists, emphasizing that the behaviour does not represent the authentic Iraqi media known for its honourable positions.
They denounced the actions as a black mark in Iraqi media history and declared their decision not to engage with such media personnel in the future. The team vowed to pursue legal avenues to restore the coach’s reputation and address the incident with the relevant authorities.
The controversy extended to the performance of Iranian-Australian referee Alireza Faghani, whose decision to send off Aymen Hussein for over-celebrating sparked criticism.
Despite scoring what he believed was the winning goal, Hussein received a yellow card for mimicking eating on the ground, and Jordan subsequently scored twice to advance. The AFC, without naming the referee, condemned any form of threat or harassment directed at officials, players, and stakeholders.
