Shahad Named Iraq Football Coach
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Abdul-Ghani Shahad has been appointed as new head coach of the Iraq national football team.
The 53-year-old replaces Montenegrin Zeljko Petrovic following Iraq’s poor results in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar.
After retiring as a player in 1999, the former defender coached Al-Najaf before moving to several other clubs in Iraq.
Shahad has also coached the Iraq U-23 national team on several occasions, including the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship where it finished third. He was also appointed as an interim coach for the senior side in 2016.
Iraq is fifth in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers on five points with just two matches - against UAE and Syria next month - remaining.
