‘It was madness in Baghdad’: René Meulensteen on coaching Iraq and helping Ronaldo
The Guardian Football ·
I raq’s journey to their first World Cup in 40 years involved sacrifices unmatched by any other side. After 20 qualifiers, the team faced a decisive playoff in the Mexican city of Monterrey but, with …
I raq’s journey to their first World Cup in 40 years involved sacrifices unmatched by any other side. After 20 qualifiers, the team faced a decisive playoff in the Mexican city of Monterrey but, with Iraq dragged into the Middle East war and airspace closed , several staff and players had an arduous job getting there. “They had to travel from different cities to Baghdad by car or bus,” says René Meulensteen, the assistant to Iraq’s coach, Graham Arnold. …
Original source: The Guardian Football