Dick Advocaat stops as national coach of Iraq, he confirms to the General Newspaper. The elector had been employed for less than four months, but was under pressure due to disappointing results. Earlier this month, Iraq failed to beat Syria (1-1) and South Korea (0-3 defeat). The departure of Advocaat has not yet been officially confirmed by the football association.
“Expectations were high and unfortunately we were unable to meet them,” the 74-year-old lawyer responded. On July 31, the coach signed a contract until the 2022 World Cup as Iraq national coach. He was given the task of leading the national team to the final tournament, but failed to win in the World Cup qualifying series. Qualification for the final round is possible, with four games to go.
After six games, Iraq is in fifth place in Group A of the Asian qualifiers. The top two qualify directly; the number three goes to the play-offs, in which two opponents have to be beaten. At the moment, the United Arab Emirates, the team of Bert van Marwijk, is in third place with six points.
Advocaat’s departure comes at a surprising moment. After all, the Arab Cup will start in Qatar in a week, a foretaste for the World Cup. Iraq is in Group A with Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. If Advocaat leaves, his assistants Cor Pot and Zeljko Petrovic will probably also leave.
Opposite Football International Lawyer leaves the door open for a resumption of his coaching career. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that I don’t have to say that I’m stopping anymore. So I won’t either. We’ll see.” According to the NOS the football association of Iraq wants to persuade the national coach to stay, but that chance seems zero.