Iraq has sacked national team coach Jesus Casas Garcia after the Spanish manager left the country without permission, the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) said on Tuesday.
“The association announces the termination of the contract of Spanish coach Jesus Casas Garcia and his technical staff due to their serious breach of contractual obligations, including leaving the country without official permission and failing to comply with invitations and warnings issued to them by the association. We officially informed FIFA with that decision,” the IFA said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Casas, 51, had been in charge since 2022 and led Iraq to lift the 2023 Gulf Cup on home soil.
The dismissal comes after Iraq’s World Cup qualifying campaign hit turbulence with a 2-2 draw against Kuwait and a 2-1 defeat to Palestine last month.
Currently sitting third in Group B of the Asian qualifiers with 12 points, Iraq face a must-win scenario in their final two matches against South Korea and Jordan in June to have any chance of securing automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
