BAGHDAD: With players banned from travel, executives sacked and a national squad that just withdrew from the Asian Games, Iraqi football is paying the price for a string of age fraud scandals.
Nearly five months ago, FIFA breathed life back into Iraqi football by lifting a three-decade ban on the country鈥檚 hosting of international matches.
But a series of cases of alleged age fraud has put Iraq鈥檚 international football reputation back into jeopardy, with players and coaches warning that authorities have long turned a blind eye to cheating if it will bring home a win.
Karim Saddam, one of the country鈥檚 football legends, said the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) 鈥渢ries by any means, by any cost to have teams achieve victories and to take credit for it.鈥�
To do so, he said, 鈥渋t will turn a blind eye to teams that have players with forged IDs.鈥�
The first tremor hit on July 30, when players on Iraq鈥檚 under-16 football squad were banned from taking off for a regional tournament in Jordan.
Undeceived by the players鈥� hairless cheeks, Baghdad airport officials found that nine members of the team had falsified ages on their passports.
The IFA quickly dismissed the team鈥檚 officials, who players said had instructed them to shave to look younger.
It also promised to take action against 鈥減layers who falsified their age.鈥�
For weeks, anti-fraud activists had posted evidence online that some of the players had voted in Iraq鈥檚 May elections, proving they were over 18.
To avoid a $30,000 (26,000 euros) non-participation fine from the tournament, Iraq鈥檚 under-14 team was sent to play in their stead.
On August 1, Iraq鈥檚 under-23 squad dropped out of the Asian Games 鈥� set to begin later this month 鈥� after activists again took to social media alleging 17 of the team鈥檚 23 players had lied about their age.
The team faces a possible $100,000 fine and a potential ban from the next edition in 2022.
Just days later, authorities dissolved the country鈥檚 under-19 team, expected in Indonesia this fall for the AFC Championship finals.
Officials said the squad would be regrouped once player IDs were thoroughly screened.
Sports authorities in Iraq have tried to contain the crisis by announcing new checks and insisting that they had been caught off guard by the scale of the problem.
But 鈥減eople who follow Iraqi football know very well why Iraq has withdrawn from the Asian Games,鈥� said Hassan Ahmed, coach of Iraq鈥檚 first division Al-Naft club.
鈥淚t鈥檚 out of fear that a second scandal will break out after the under-16s.鈥�
Ahmed rejected claims by the IFA that the team was forced to withdraw from the competition due to the unavailability of players retained by their clubs, including Al-Naft.
鈥淭he teams that meet the Iraqis in junior championships are beginning to realize the age of the players,鈥� he said.
One reason the IFA may be so desperate to win is because of its isolation at home, said Saddam, who played on Iraq鈥檚 1986 World Cup team.
The IFA is in conflict with the ministry of youth and sports over revenue from stadium ticket sales and has been boycotted by major football figures, he said.
Sports journalist Zidan Al-Rubaie said football fraud is only one facet of a 鈥渨idespread culture of forgery.鈥�
Under Saddam Hussein鈥檚 rule, Iraqis were forced to find creative ways to circumvent more than a decade-long international embargo, and after his ouster, to survive sectarian violence and extremists.
In the chaos that ensued after Saddam鈥檚 fall, thousands of Iraqis falsified their ID cards, changing their religion, hometown or name to avoid the ire of armed groups.