Jesús Casas: "Football in Iraq is everything, lived with immense passion"

Iraq, Spain's rival this Thursday in Riazor, faces its second World Cup. It does so 40 years after its debut. The qualification has behind it the work of a Spanish coach, Jesús Casas (Madrid, 23-10-1973). They didn't let him finish his mission, but he is the father of the team that will pass through A Coruña on its way to a World Cup with a very tough group: France, Norway, and Senegal. No one better than him to talk about Spain's rival and an imposing life experience.

Question. What is football in Iraq?

Answer. Everything. It is lived with immense passion, for better or for worse. Also, something that is very striking is that street football still exists, like in our childhood. I always remember one time we were going to the hotel and we saw some children playing three-on-three in the middle of the street, with two stones as goalposts. When a car passed, they had to stop the game and they did it with a face of "you are bothering us." It is also played a lot in parks and courts. Very, very passionate.

Football in Iraq is everything. It is lived with immense passion, for better or for worse

P. What did that experience in Iraq mean to you?

R. A bit of everything. On a sporting level, it was exceptional because, although I have been coaching for over twenty years, it was my first experience as a head coach at a professional level. I had always worked in the third division, in reserve teams, or as an assistant, even with the Spanish national team. And doing it in a national team is different because you don't just represent a club, but an entire country.

Professionally, it was very important, and we also achieved several goals. We were very close to securing qualification for the World Cup, although in the end, it didn't happen.

And on a personal level, it was also very impactful because you get to know a completely different culture and a country that has lived through twenty years of armed conflict. Although the situation is much better now, there is still a lot to rebuild. I met very close cases of players who had lost family members or whose fathers or brothers had disappeared since the time of ISIS or Al Qaeda. All of that marks you deeply.

I met very close cases of players who had lost family members or whose fathers or brothers had disappeared since the time of ISIS or Al Qaeda

P. How did the offer come about, and what did you think when they spoke to you about Iraq? What did your family say?

R. The president wanted a Spanish coach because Spanish football and Spanish coaches are highly valued for the successes of recent years. I know he looked for profiles with more name recognition before, but no one accepted the proposal.

When the offer came, obviously, the first reaction was surprise. My family thought I was going there as a peacekeeper, if anything. The first thing we did was contact the Spanish Embassy in Baghdad, and they told us that the situation was calm, although it was clearly a special country.

My family thought I was going there as a peacekeeper, if anything

We went for a weekend to get to know the environment, and when we saw what the country was really like, we decided to accept. I believe that in life, you have to be brave, without being reckless. And we took the step within reasonable limits.

P. When we think of Baghdad, we think of ruins. Is that the reality?

R. Not exactly. Baghdad has enormous culture and a great historical heritage. It is not a city in ruins, although it is very chaotic. Obviously, there are still signs of the conflict: bullet impacts or projectiles on some walls, especially in government areas.

It is also a very militarized country. Here you enter a shopping center and see security guards; there, you see police or army practically everywhere. There is also a green zone, a specially protected area where official bodies are located, and special permits are needed to access it.

P. And on a football level, what was it like working there?

R. We had the advantage of technological tools and analysis software. One of the things we did was to focus heavily on Morocco's model.

Due to the conflicts, a large part of the Iraqi population had emigrated to countries like Germany, Sweden, or Norway. So, in addition to following the Iraqi league and some Gulf leagues, we dedicated ourselves to tracking down players with Iraqi passports who were in Europe.

Through interviews and follow-up, we managed to incorporate footballers who had played in the lower categories in Germany or Sweden and we managed to build a quite competitive team.

P. The team that is now coming to play against Spain has a lot of your work in it.

R. Yes, practically all of them debuted with us or played with us. Except for one or two very specific cases, the rest were part of the process we initiated. It is a competitive team, and I believe its ceiling was precisely qualifying for the World Cup.

In a short tournament, there can always be surprises—we ourselves beat Japan in the Asian Cup—but obviously, it was a step below teams like Spain.

P. How was that night when you won the Gulf Cup and the return to Baghdad?

R. It was absolute madness. The day of the final, which I think was at nine in the evening, the stadium was already full by twelve noon. Seventy thousand people waiting for hours.

The day of the Gulf Cup final, which I think was at nine in the evening, the stadium was already full by twelve noon.

The return was impressive. Basra and Baghdad are already chaotic cities, but that was impossible to control. We could barely move forward with the bus. It was a national celebration that lasted a very long time.

For months, we practically didn't pay anywhere. We would go to eat or have dinner, and they always invited us. They are very effusive and passionate people.

For months, we practically didn't pay anywhere. We would go to eat or have dinner, and they always invited us

P. Are you angry about being with Iraq in the World Cup?

R. Yes, very. Because we practically paved the way. When we were dismissed, we still depended on ourselves, and even if we hadn't achieved direct qualification, we had the second phase well underway.

I honestly believe that we built a large part of that path from December 2022 to March 2025. We lacked the final push, and of course, it's frustrating not to have been able to complete it.

We lacked the final push, and of course, it's frustrating not to have been able to complete it

P. And what happened?

R. Everything is lived with a lot of passion there. We had two bad games in March. Against Kuwait, we dominated completely, created many chances, but drew. Then we went to play against Palestine, we went ahead, and in the last minutes, they came back.

It was barely our second defeat in fourteen games, but patience is very short there, and a big fuss was made. It's that simple.

P. Zero patience...

R. A lot of pressure. In the Iraqi League, it is common for even the champion team to change coaches during the season. Imagine the rest.

P. You spoke earlier about players with very tough personal stories. Do you remember any specifically?

R. Yes. For example, Aymen Hussein. His father and a brother disappeared during the ISIS era, and they were never heard from again. There were also assistants or members of the entourage who had had to go to combat.

Aymen Hussein's father and brother disappeared during the ISIS era, and they were never heard from again

There are many very tough stories. Perhaps the most significant within the team is Aymen's, but in those two and a half years, you meet many people who have suffered enormously.

P. Were the conversations with the players usually of that nature?

R. Curiously, not so much. They try to leave that stage behind. We ourselves tried to talk about the present and the future, to convey hope and to show them that they could build something different.

We did use that difficult past as extra motivation, as a way to represent all the people who had suffered so much.

P. How would you define the DNA of the Iraqi player?

R. He is a very competitive and mentally resilient player. He has an enormous capacity to overcome difficulties. I think he is very similar to the Iranian player in that regard.

The Iraqi player is very competitive and mentally resilient

Honestly, if Iraq had not experienced so many conflicts, it would probably be among the great teams in Asia. We managed to place it sixth in the Asian rankings, but I think it could be even higher.

P. I imagine national pride is enormous.

R. Immense. The national team paralyzes the country there. Curiously, there isn't huge fanaticism for Iraqi clubs; there are even more Real Madrid or Barça fans. But with the national team, everything changes.

When Iraq plays, everyone is watching: children, women, the elderly... The country stops. If the match coincides with working hours, permission is even given to watch it. Screens are set up everywhere, and people gather in homes.

The national team paralyzes the country there. Curiously, there isn't huge fanaticism for Iraqi clubs; there are even more Real Madrid or Barça fans. But with the national team, everything changes

P. Playing against Spain, even if it's a friendly, must be huge for them.

R. Without a doubt. It is probably the most important match in recent times for them. The Spanish national team and the Spanish League have a great deal of prestige there.

Now I am in Singapore, and here the Premier League dominates much more, but in Iraq, the Spanish League is the absolute reference. Playing against Spain is a huge event.

P. What was your day-to-day like?

R. A bit complicated. There weren't too many leisure options either. We would go to watch matches, to shopping centers, or to restaurants.

And then there was the popularity. The affection is greatly appreciated, but sometimes it was difficult. I remember eating a hamburger and someone tapping me on the arm to take a photo. The hamburger flew out.

The affection is greatly appreciated, but sometimes the popularity was difficult

Over time and with successes, the popularity grew even more. I recorded television commercials, and the day-to-day was quite intense.

P. But you speak fondly of that time.

R. Yes, without a doubt. The problem I had was with certain people in the Federation, who made a decision that I consider unfair. But my experience there was extraordinary, both in sporting and personal terms.

Even today, I still receive a lot of affection. When they qualified for the World Cup, many players wrote to me saying that it was also partly mine.

P. Will you follow Iraq in the World Cup?

R. Of course. I'm very eager to see them. The problem is that the demands there are enormous, and now many will expect Iraq to do something significant in the World Cup.

But I think the great prize is already being there. If they then lose against teams like France, Senegal, or Norway, it's within the logic of football. We'll have to see how they manage those expectations.

P. That passion seems to lead them to think they can compete against anyone.

R. Exactly. For better or for worse. It already happened in the Olympic Games. They had a decent tournament, they competed well, they even won a difficult match, but even so, there were many criticisms, and the coach ended up being dismissed.

It was the same with Aymen Hussein. Before the Asian Cup, many people told me on the street that I shouldn't take him. Then he was one of the top scorers and became a national idol.