President of Iraq Football Association Abdulkhaliq Masood thanked Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Sports Authority Turki Al Al-Sheikh for his great and fruitful efforts that resulted in lifting the ban imposed on Iraqi stadiums. In a statement, Masood said that he was pleased with the decision to lift the ban on Iraqi stadiums, thanking the Saudi General Sports Authority for its effective contribution to lifting the ban. "We thank Turki Al Al-Sheikh for his valuable efforts in lifting the ban," he said, stressing that the friendly football match between Iraqi national team and the Saudi national team in Basra convinced FIFA to lift the ban. FIFA has officially lifted the ban on Iraq hosting competitive international matches. The FIFA Council has voted on the issue and announced that Iraq will be able to host games in Erbil, Karbila'a, and Basra.
