The draw decides the qualification of Oman and Iraq to the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup for the first time in history

Jassim Al-Rumaihi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Football Association, confirmed that resorting to a lottery to decide the qualification ticket between the Omani and Iraqi teams is an unprecedented event in the history of the Gulf Cup tournaments, after the two teams were equal in the criteria specified for separating them.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Rumaihi said: “According to my knowledge and the information available to me, this is the first time such a situation has occurred, with the two teams being equal in goals and warnings. It is usual for there to be a difference in a goal or a warning, but for the two teams to be equal in all of these matters, this is the first time this has happened.

Al-Rumaihi congratulated the Saudi and Omani teams for reaching the semi-finals, and also congratulated Qatar and the UAE for their qualification, hoping that their confrontation in the final round would appear in a manner befitting the reputation of Gulf football.

Regarding the state of controversy that followed the end of the two matches of the final round of the first group, after it was believed that the Omani team had qualified before the draw was announced, Al Rumaihi said: “According to the information I have, it was said that the Omani team had been declared qualified, but the matter had not been decided in the official manner. Everyone was supposed to wait until the official announcement from the Competitions Committee, after confirming all criteria, whether goals or warnings.”

He added: “I cannot describe what happened as a mistake, but it was a kind of haste, and such things may happen and be corrected.”

Regarding the procedures that preceded the draw, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Federation explained that the Competitions Committee reviewed all the details before adopting the final decision, saying: “It is always customary for the Competitions Committee to verify all procedures, and I thank the members of the committee and Dr. Khaled Al-Muqrin, Chairman of the Committee, for their work. All procedures were confirmed, and representatives of the two federations were invited, and the details of the situation were explained to them before the draw was held, in the presence of a large media presence and sports channels.