Gulf Cup success has exceeded our expectations: AGCFF president

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, President of the Arabian Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF), yesterday said that the success of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup - being held in Iraq for the first time in four decades - has exceeded ‘all expectations’.
Speaking during his appearance on popular talk show ‘Al Majlis’ on Al Kass channel, Sheikh Hamad added the Iraqi people had the greatest role to play in the success of the tournament that ends today with a final between Iraq and Oman. Sheikh Hamad, who is also the president of Qatar Football Association (QFA), said packed houses at two venues Basra International Stadium and Al Minaa Stadium reflected the love of the game Iraq football fans have.
“Certainly, the organisational matters of the tournament witnessed some errors, but this is a natural thing and something that always happens in tournaments. If I were to evaluate it by a certain percentage, I would give it 8 out of 10,” Sheikh Hamad said.
“From the beginning, I was confident that Iraq would be able to host the championship in a sound fashion, but I did not expect this great success, which restored the spirit and dynamism of the Arabian Gulf Cup and this is very important to AGCFF,” he added.
“With all objectivity, I have to say the technical level of the matches did not live up to expectations but in general, the technical performance can be evaluated at 5 out of 10,” he said.
The AGCFF president said he would like to see Kuwait follow the example of Iraq in organizing a successful tournament at the end of 2024. He revealed there’s a recommendation from participating teams to increase the duration of the tournament to allow players adequate rest between matches.
“We discussed a lot of matters during our meetings on the sidelines of the tournament, including inviting a team from outside the AGCFF umbrella following approval from the ruling body,” Sheikh Hamad said.
Regarding his desire to run for a new term as president of the AGCFF, Sheikh Hamad said he had not made a final decision on the matter.