Iraq prepares to host 25th Gulf by developing infrastructure in Basra

With the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup approaching, the Iraqi authorities have highlighted the completion of technical, ground and air organizational preparations for the event to be held in Basra on January 6. After a meeting chaired by the tournament director, first vice-president of the Iraqi Football Federation, Ali Jabbar, the organizing committee announced that the federation has fully prepared for the tournament from the administrative, organizational and logistical points of view. “We must take advantage of the Gulf Cup to organize continental and Arab championships in the future,” he added.

The committee explained that the understanding between committees in the Football Association and their counterparts in the Gulf Federation is one of the most important features of the success of the tournament, stressing that the training grounds for the teams participating in the 25th Gulf are ready. Teams of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen are competing in the tournament.

Sources indicated that the Iraqi government decided to cancel the entry visa fees to the country, amounting to 200 dollars per person, to attend the Arab Gulf Cup Football Championship, to facilitate the attendance of spectators.

Earlier, Major General and head of the Iraqi Security Media Cell, Saad Maan, announced the start of granting free entry visas to attend the 25th Gulf Cup matches at Basra International Airport and the Safwan border crossing with Kuwait, starting from December 30 to January 25.

“Granting entry visas directly at Basra International Airport and Safwan border crossing does not need to be submitted via an electronic link to all citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other Arab countries wishing to attend the tournament,” Maan said in a press release.

Iraqi Football Association announced on November 27 that it had contracted with the French company L’Oreal to organize and manage the tournament, explaining that the move aims to “show the Gulf 25 in a distinctive way that reflects the ingenuity of the Iraqis in hosting this event.”