The governor of Basra reveals the identity of the Iraqi flag bearer at the opening ceremony of “Gulf 25”

A member of the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Football Association, Abdulaziz Al-Samhan, spoke about the misorganization of the opening ceremony of the 25th Gulf Cup in Basra, Iraq.

A member of the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Football Association told “Your Newspaper,” “They slit the pocket of my dishdashti (jilbab) with a razor (a sharp instrument),” and left “Buki” (they stole my wallet).

He expressed his astonishment at the “stampede, crowding and thefts” despite the deployment of Iraqi police forces.

The Kuwait Football Association had complained about what it described as “poor organization” at the opening ceremony of the 25th Gulf Cup in Basra, Iraq, on Friday, after a controversy arose over a stampede in the VIP area.

The federation confirmed that Fahad Nasser Al-Sabah, head of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee and representative of the Kuwaiti prince who came to attend the tournament, withdrew with his accompanying delegation, according to “statment”.

The Kuwait Football Association “expressed its strong dissatisfaction with the poor organization of the opening ceremony of the 25th Gulf Cup in Basra, and the resulting mass stampede and overcrowding that prevented the entry of the representative of His Highness the Emir of the country.”

According to the statement, the head of the Kuwait Football Association “informed his Iraqi counterpart and those responsible for the organization of the federation’s protest against these organizational matters.”

The federation affirmed that “in order to preserve the status and importance of the tournament, and in support of the brothers, the Kuwaiti national team will continue to participate in the tournament’s activities, with assurances from the Iraqi side that all means of security and safety that are required for continued participation will be available.”

The federation indicated that the president and the accompanying delegation “will follow up on the national team’s affairs to ensure that the players are not affected by any of these events and to be assured of their security and safety.”

The statement reassured the Kuwaiti fans about the safety of the players and all members of the Kuwaiti delegation, who are currently in the city of Basra.

The Kuwait Football Association did not mention the details of what happened, but some activists circulated a video showing the “scramble” in the VIP area.

Iraq is hosting the Arab Gulf Cup, which is a reunion tournament for football fans in the Gulf region, for the second time in its history after the first one that was held in the capital, Baghdad, in 1979.

The Kuwaiti newspaper, “Your Newspaper” reported that the President of the Kuwait Football Association, Abdullah Al-Shaheen, said: “We left the place because we could not be present, and the representative of His Highness the Emir did not enter the stadium.”

The opening ceremony was attended by the heads of the Qatari Football Associations, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Palestinian, Jibril Rajoub, the Bahraini, Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa, and other sports personalities from the countries of the region.