Al-Moqren: The Draw Followed the Approved Regulations
The head of the competitions committee at the Gulf Football Union confirmed that Oman's qualification at Iraq's expense was conducted according to the approved regulations, denying any objections or reliance on rankings as a criterion.
Translated by Qiyas from النهار — Original source
Dr. Khaled Al-Maqren, head of the competitions committee at the Gulf Football Union, confirmed that the draw which decided Oman’s advancement to the semi-finals at Iraq’s expense was conducted in accordance with the tournament’s approved regulations, noting that all participating federations were aware of the tie-breaking criteria. Speaking to the media after the draw, Al-Maqren said, “This edition is unique and historic, and this situation has occurred for the first time, but everything proceeded according to the regulations.”
Addressing the controversy surrounding the recourse to a draw and reports of an Iraqi objection, he stated, “I am not aware of any objection, and I operate in accordance with the regulations.” He emphasized that both the Omani and Iraqi federations were familiar with the regulations, adding, “Everyone has representatives in the representation office, who approved the regulations, and they also have representatives on the competitions committee; therefore, everyone is aware of them.”
Regarding the Omani team’s celebration of their advancement following their match against “Al-Azraq,” before the later announcement that a draw would be used to determine the outcome, Al-Maqren stressed that there had been prior awareness of the regulations, saying, “There is awareness, and there is a representative for each national team.”
Al-Maqren denied that team rankings were among the tie-breaking criteria, affirming that rankings “are not included” in the criteria for determining advancement. He revealed that Iraq and Oman were also tied on the disciplinary points criterion, stating, “The Omani team has eight yellow cards, and the Iraqi team also has eight yellow cards; thus, both teams were equal in terms of cautions.”
On rumors of additional cards issued to Iraqi players in the wake of incidents during the “Al-Azraq” match, Al-Maqren clarified that the competitions committee relies solely on officially recorded cautions by the match officials, saying, “Cautions come from the referees, and we count the cautions listed in the report signed by the referee. Whether a card was justified or not is a separate matter.”
