Call to set player contracts ceiling and focus on professionals abroad

Sports Former Iraqi football star and former Al-Zawraa club president Falah Hassan called for a reassessment of the financial value of player contracts within the Iraqi League, emphasizing that advancing the reality of football in the country requires upgrading the local competition and activating reliance on Iraqi talents professionalized in foreign stadiums. Hassan explained during his media appearance that the ceiling of the local player's contract should not exceed six hundred and fifty thousand dollars, pointing out that this limitation does not diminish the status of local talents, but rather aims to motivate them to raise their levels and seek more prominent and significant professional experiences outside Iraqi borders. He continued that the legitimate ambition of the Iraqi player should head towards external professionalism with contracts ranging between one million and one million and a half up to two million dollars, instead of being satisfied with the current local figures that fall between one hundred and fifty thousand and three hundred thousand dollars. In the context of evaluating the local league environment, Hassan pointed out that the modest level of the tournament negatively affects the readiness of local elements to provide the required technical addition to the national team, stressing the necessity of including professionals abroad and investing their capabilities in the optimal way. He clarified that the development process does not target marginalizing locals, as the local tournament can produce about five or six talented elements capable of representing the national team and harmonizing with their colleagues coming from foreign leagues. Hassan noted that drawing inspiration from the experiences of national teams that rely entirely on their professionals opens wide horizons for upgrading the performance of the Iraqi national team, expressing his aspiration to watch new names characterized by properties and levels similar to professional Merchas Doski. It is worth mentioning that Hassan had recently stepped away from the sports scene after a career spanning about fourteen years at the head of the Al-Zawraa club management, amid indicators confirming his desire to return to managing the club coinciding with the presence of supportive financial data exceeding previous phases.