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Heads of the Arab Gulf football federations participating the 19th Gulf Cup held recently in Muscat have agreed on Iraq’s request to host the 21st tournament in the southern city Iraqi of Basra.

Presidents of football federations of the other seven countries have decided to support the Iraqi paper presented to the assembled delegates participating in a conference held in conjunction with the tournament in Oman.

According to Iraqi Al-Sabah, the delegates issued a statement following their meeting that the “Iraqi delegation has presented a letter containing a number of points which were read at the General Conference, including the review of the steps for the construction of the a purpose-built sports village for the tournament and the desirability of the audience who had supported the establishment of the 21st edition in the Gulf city of Basra, adding that the next tournament , the 20th, is due to be held in Yemen during December 2010”.

The delegates emphasized that the tournament should be in accordance with the agenda of the Asian and international obligations to the eight countries participating in the Gulf Cup, and that there should be a specific date for this gathering which represents such an importance to the people of the Gulf area. They also indicated that the continuation of the Gulf Cup tournament has been a great success since its first edition in 1970.

The newspaper added that the meeting has approved the minutes of a previous meeting to the General Conference held in Muscat on February 18th 2008, as well as the ratification of the minutes of the meeting of the 19th Gulf Cup’s Technical Committee which was held on October 29, 2008.

The heads of the Arabian Gulf football federations will hold an extraordinary meeting next April 2009 to discuss the best ways to improve the tournament in its upcoming version in Yemen, as well as to discuss proposals which have been put forward by members of the General Secretariat, mainly concerning the coordination and accords with media after some disputes among TV channels over broadcasting rights.

Al-Jazeera has managed to secure exclusive rights to broadcast the tournament in Oman and this has resulted in many disputed issues among other rival channels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Many spectators have refused to speak to Al-Jazeera’s correspondents in the Oman tournament especially those from the Emirates.

The tournament which the Omanis hosted and won is not officially approved by the FIFA. Presidents of the Gulf Football Federations say that it has brought upheaval, change and development to the game in the region and it will be a continuous success although it has not yet been approved world football governing body FIFA. The organisers are aiming at enlisting the Gulf Cup on FIFA’s agenda and making the tournament an even better success.

The newspaper concluded by saying that the current stable security situation in Iraq has prompted the leaders of the Gulf countries to approve the holding of the 21st Cup in Basra.

(Source: AIPS)