The former international player and current coach Ali Abdullah warned of the danger of the extinction of Iraqi basketball due to the crises the sport has faced over the past two years, while expressing optimism about the upcoming phase after the resignation of the previous executive office of the Iraqi Basketball Federation was accepted and a date was set for new elections.
Abdullah said in a press interview that "the basketball community, including myself, is pleased with the courageous step taken by the general assembly of the Iraqi Basketball Federation, by voting to approve the resignation of the previous executive office members, and I am very optimistic about the upcoming phase, especially after a date was set to hold elections and choose a new administrative body to lead the sport."
He added that "it is not necessary for the next federation president to be a former international player or a big star in basketball, but it could be a successful administrator who has the ability to manage various files, because what the sport needs today is successful management and attracting investments, and not solely relying on government support."
Abdullah clarified that "we hope that the upcoming federation works correctly, and that it can save Iraqi basketball from the threat of extinction, especially since the sport has lost many of its players over the past two years, as a large number of them had to leave basketball and turn to freelance work to secure their livelihoods."
The general assembly of the Iraqi Basketball Federation had voted to approve the resignation of the executive office members of the federation and set November 28 as the date for new elections, in a step aimed at reorganizing the administrative aspects of the sport and opening a new page to address the challenges facing Iraqi basketball.