Iraq have withdrawn their team slated to play the football tournament at the upcoming Asian Games 2018 just two weeks ahead of the kickoff in Jakarta. The withdrawal of Iraq from the roster may throw the opening phase of the tournament in turmoil.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) conducted a redraw last week in order to add Palestine and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the competition’s group stage after the two teams had been left out of the original list.
With the redraw, two of the six group increased to five teams from four but with Iraq’s withdrawal, the group containing China, Timor Leste and Syria has been trimmed to just three teams.
According to a Reuters source in Baghdad, the Iraq Olympic Committee have pulled out the team and the headache has fallen over the AFC officials now to address the imbalance in the early phase.
The Olympic Council of Asia, the organisers of the Asian Games, have yet to respond to a request from Reuters for comment.
