May 23 (Reuters Sports Service) - Iraqi football has chosen one of its golden icons to lead the next phase, as a long-awaited global event approaches. Former Iraqi captain Younis Mahmoud was elected president of the Iraqi Football Association after defeating Adnan Dirjal in elections held on Saturday in Baghdad. This election comes shortly before the "Lions of Mesopotamia" participate in the World Cup finals for the first time in four decades. Mahmoud received 38 votes compared to 20 for Dirjal, who had led the association since 2021, while Iyad Bunyan received one vote, with two ballots being invalidated.

Mahmoud (43 years old) is one of the most prominent names in the history of Iraqi football, as he led his country’s national team to win the Asian Cup title for the first time in 2007, and previously served as the second vice president of the Iraqi Football Association during one of the previous terms.

Mahmoud wore the captain's armband for the Iraqi national team for ten years, and had professional experiences with a number of clubs in Iraq, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and won the Golden Boot award three times in the Qatari league.

Mahmoud scored the winning goal for Iraq in the 2007 Asian Cup final, winning the Golden Boot and the Best Player award. He was also nominated for the Asian Player of the Year award that same year, becoming the first Iraqi player to reach this stage.

The Iraqi News Agency quoted Mahmoud as saying after his victory, "The union's work program for the upcoming period will be presented to the members of the executive office for discussion and approval."
He added, "The members of the executive office have ideas and visions that must be included in the program, and it is important that it be comprehensive and reflect the spirit of teamwork, in order to come up with a project that raises the reputation of Iraqi football."

In contrast, Darjal lost the election despite the achievements made during his term, most notably the reopening of a number of Iraqi stadiums, the country’s gradual return to hosting international matches, and qualification for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years.

However, he has faced criticism due to the fluctuating results of the national teams and the decline in the level of local competitions in recent years.

Iraq had secured the last qualifying spot for the World Cup finals, scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico next month, after defeating Bolivia in the final of the intercontinental play-off, which was held in Mexico during April, to return to the tournament for the first time since 1986.

The Iraqi national team will compete in the tournament within Group Nine, alongside the national teams of France, Senegal and Norway.