The Iraqi Football Association announced the launch of steps for a project to develop football talents and prepare a new generation of players, in collaboration with the International Football Federation (FIFA), through the formation of youth national teams and the establishment of specialized training centers.
The association’s media director, Mohamed Khalaf, stated in a statement followed by the news agency, that the federation has begun implementing the project by forming a team for the 15-year-old category, led by coach Safwan Abdul Ghani, under the supervision of Karim Mohammed Allawi, in preparation for participating in a tournament taking place in Azerbaijan.
He added that the upcoming plan includes the formation of four teams for the age categories of 12, 13, 14, and 15 years, under the supervision of specialized coaching staff, connected to a technical director who will be announced by the federation soon, to monitor the teams' work and oversee their training programs.
Khalaf explained that the project aims to develop around 100 players by employing scouts in various regions of Iraq to discover talents and select promising players, with the possibility of forming additional teams in Basra and the central and northern regions, according to need.
He pointed out that the federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, has managed to provide two stadiums to be used as training centers for the teams, in addition to working on upgrading a third stadium behind the federation's headquarters, with the potential to create an additional stadium.
Khalaf emphasized that providing the necessary infrastructure, along with ongoing technical and training supervision, will contribute to discovering and developing football talents, and ensure a continuous supply of players for the youth national teams, thus supporting the future of Iraqi football.