June 29 (Reuters) - The Iraqi Olympic Committee said on Monday it will launch an investigation into the national team’s disappointing World Cup campaign and outline measures to prevent a repeat of such poor results in future tournaments.
Iraq’s first appearance at the finals in 40 years was a harsh lesson, with the team losing all three group-stage matches in one of the toughest draws, alongside former champions France, Norway and African powerhouse Senegal.
The scale of the challenge became clear as Iraq exited the tournament without a point, conceding 12 goals, highlighting the gap to more established footballing nations.
Iraqi Olympic Committee president Aqeel Muftin said a meeting would be held with officials from the Iraqi Football Association to assess the causes of the poor performance and outline a plan for improvement.
"We will hold a meeting with Football Association officials to examine the reasons behind the team’s decline in results at the World Cup and to develop a strategy for its improvement," Muftin told the Iraqi News Agency , adding that "everyone is saddened” by the outcome.
He said discussions after the team’s return would focus on ensuring the setback is not repeated, with a comprehensive roadmap covering the short, medium and long term to identify weaknesses and address them.
Muftin added that the review would be handled by specialised committees tasked with finding solutions to the weak standards of the domestic league and national teams, and laying the foundations for sustained progress. "This requires the combined efforts of everyone," he said.
He stressed that responsibility for rebuilding the side extends beyond any single body. "The national team does not belong to the Olympic Committee, the federation or the government — it belongs to the nation, and everyone is responsible for supporting it and ensuring its success," he said.
(Reporting Ashraf Hamed Atta; Editing by Toby Chopra)
