Yesterday, Thursday, the Asian Football Confederation decided to transfer the AFC Youth Cup qualifiers from the Iraqi city of Basra to the State of Kuwait.

The Iraqi Football Association said in a statement: “In light of recent events, the AFC decided to transfer the AFC Youth Cup qualifiers, which will be held in Basra from 14 to 18 September 2022, from Basra to another country due to the events that occurred in the country.”

He pointed out that "the host country for the qualifiers will be announced at a later date to be determined by the AFC."

The Iraqi Football Association confirmed that it had been informed by the Asian Football Confederation of the decision to transfer the Asian Youth Qualifiers from Basra to Kuwait.

A member of the Federation, Muhammad Nasser, told Baghdad today: "We informed the Asian Football Confederation today that the Asian Youth Qualifiers will be moved from Basra to Kuwait."

Regarding the decision to transfer the championship, Nasser said: “Withdrawing the championship from Basra can be done for safety reasons.”

The Green Zone in Baghdad witnessed armed clashes that killed more than 30 people and injured about 600.

It is noteworthy that the Iraqi Football Association decided in early August that the Asian Football Confederation had set the dates for the matches of Group H qualifying for the finals of the continental youth championship, which will be held in Basra.