Iraqs Karimi will be joining Man City

[djmo]

Stop being so jealous people. He's a good player and he has the type of attitude which will take him alot further than extraordinary talent may.

Jealous? LOOOOL dude he didn't even make it to man city, they rejected him.

[Nokhodi]

Stop being so jealous people. He's a good player and he has the type of attitude which will take him alot further than extraordinary talent may.

[djmo]

please do, i wanna know which and how many asian or middleeastern (whichever u meant) u think are better than nashat akram at the momenyt

lol @ Iraqifootball. Like you wish any good for any Iranian players. And I actually generally felt bad about Nashat not making it, and had hoped he would. I don't rate him much at all, so I knew he wouldn't have succeed regardless, but than he would have told his kids that he made Man City. That's nice.

Better than him? As footballers, sure ....
Karimi, Nakamura, Nekonaum, Navidkia, Mahdavikia, Teymourian, Lee Po, Park, Al-Qahtani, Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Iman Mobali, etc.

I can name 20 with ease. Remember, this Asia Cup was the worst edition of it so far. This whole four countries b.s; Australia was adjusting and weren't even close to their peak; South Korea was horrible; Iran's coach was an absolute idiot; and Saudi Arabia always has a hard time against Iraq it seems. And Nashat hasn't done anything besides help his team win the Asia Cup. Nashat has been nothing special for his Al-Ain team. While all of our players are ripping up the UAE league. He was no where before this Asia Cup, and some Iranians are overestimating Iraq's team and players. They got lucky, simple as that, accept it. Di*k-riding doesn't mean that that team is great .

[arash123]

please do, i wanna know which and how many asian or middleeastern (whichever u meant) u think are better than nashat akram at the momenyt

i personally think
1.nekounam (i know its hypothetical but im sure hes still good)
2.ali karimi (id rather have him on my team than nashat)
3.al-qahtani (this guy has made me a believer as of recently)

[persian boy]

please do, i wanna know who u consider top 5 players in asia or middleeast (whichever u meant)

these players are all better then Akram

Karimi
Nekonam
Al-Qahtani
Malek
Nakamura
J.S. Park
Hawar Mohammad
Teymourian

even Madanchi in his current form

[South Iraq]

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi soccer phenom Nashat Akram's face already graces hundreds of posters plastered around Baghdad. But in recent days, he had been poised to do what no Iraqi player has done before: Sign a professional contract with a top team in Britain's Premier League -- a trailblazing move that many predicted would open the "golden door" for future soccer stars.

The only thing standing in his way was a work permit.

Last week, British officials denied that permit for a second time, consigning Akram to the same fate as thousands of other Iraqis, his dreams another casualty of war.

"This is a very, very unfair decision," said Akram's agent Najim Mohammed. "We want to make good relations between Iraq and the U.K. and America. We want to show Iraqi people these people want to help give us a hand. But this is against Iraqi people. . . . They keep the people suffering. They don't give them any joy."

As the news spread across soccer-crazed Iraq today, fans reacted with anger and disbelief. Iraqi government and sports officials vowed to appeal and threatened to launch large-scale protests that would be visible around the world.

The United Kingdom's Home Office -- the government agency that grants passports, visas and citizenship to immigrants -- said it cannot comment on individual cases.

But Manchester City Football Club said the government's rejection of the appeal was based on a technicality. The Iraqi national team has not recently played against any of the world's top 20 teams and its two-year average rank is 71. To meet the professional requirements of the visa, the team needs to be ranked in the top 70.

"I'm sure people aren't happy [in Iraq], but people aren't happy at Manchester City either," club spokesman Paul Tyrrell said. "We genuinely don't understand the decision. We thought the immigration authorities would take into consideration that Iraq -- because of the domestic problems -- would have difficulty playing against any of the top 20 countries."

Despite the low ranking, the team won the Asia Cup last year and placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics. The only way to move up in the rankings is to play more games, but because of the war, it has been impossible to host any home matches.

"Thanks to the Americans, we can't do this," said Ahmed Abbas, general secretary of the Iraqi Football Assn. "We're facing a situation with stability and security. Therefore, we couldn't have games in Iraq. Even abroad, we can't have games."

To help sway the government panel, Manchester City Football Club manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, another team official and a representative from the Professional Footballer's Assn. attended the appeals hearing last week in London to deliver personal pleas on Akram's behalf.

"This is a big blow and a great disappointment to us," Eriksson said in a statement released on the team's website. "I have huge sympathy for Nashat. He is a very good footballer with an excellent international pedigree. . . . He is somebody who we will maintain an interest in for the long term."

The 24-year-old midfielder is considered a rising star capable of creating scoring opportunities. He had been playing for the Al-Ain club in the United Arab Emirates, but Manchester City reportedly bought out the remainder of his contract for $800,000. Tyrrell said the team had been scouting him extensively and Akram had already begun training in the U.K.

"We knew how good he was," Tyrrell. "He would have gone straight to our first team squad. He's a top quality player."

The team said it has exhausted the appeals process, but plans to re-submit a request for a work permit in the summer.

Meanwhile, Iraqi sports officials called on the government to intervene.

"Before, they had the excuse that this was a rogue state because of Saddam Hussein and because of his human rights atrocities and attacking neighboring states," said Ahmed Sabri, a member of the Iraqi Olympic Committee.

"Now, they don't have any excuse, we're a democratic state. This makes us question: Is there another agenda?"

Ali Dabbagh, Iraq's official government spokesman, said he personally requested that the Home Office reconsider its decision. Since the appeal was rejected last Wednesday, Dabbagh said he spoke to the British Ambassador in Iraq and sent a formal letter to the U.K.

Lawmaker Fawzi Akram, a member of Parliament's Sports and Youth Committee, said he plans to ask Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to look into the matter.

"Highly decorated Iraqi players from different kinds of sports are prevented from entering different countries regardless of their high level of professionalism," Akram said. "They are trying to repress Iraqi professionals from attaining their objectives and goals."

In the last few weeks, as Akram headed to the U.K. to practice with the team, soccer fans across Iraq had been eagerly anticipating his start with Manchester City.

Ahmed Salman, 19, said he spent a "big part of his savings" throwing a party for his friends when he found out Akram would play in England.

"But now I am shocked that his work permit was denied," said Salman, an aspiring player. "I thought it was a message to all Iraqi youth telling them not to work hard or make something out of yourselves because you will be rejected in the end as you are Iraqi."

Oday Fadhil Mahmoud, president of the fan club of Iraq's most popular team, Zawra, said: "They thought that this is the golden door for other Iraqi players. I am going to the club right now. I don't know how I'm going to face the people. This brings hopelessness to all Iraqis."

[yashar_fasihnia]

i can name atleast 5 players that r better

please do, i wanna know which and how many asian or middleeastern (whichever u meant) u think are better than nashat akram at the momenyt

[persian boy]

nashat as asia's second best player is VERY questionable, i dont even think hes top 3 in middle east. nevertheless i still wish him the best.

i can name atleast 5 players that r better

[arash123]

nashat as asia's second best player is VERY questionable, i dont even think hes top 3 in middle east. nevertheless i still wish him the best.

[Sumerian]

My buddy told me came on arab tv, said you should congradulate him cause he's going to be a man city player. that didnt turn out it, did it?

Sven was just as surprised as anyone else that the permit bid was rejected; everyone thought it was going to be a done deal.

[Qatari]

iranis living a perfect and rich life in GCC while Arabs in iran suffring

what a shame

see who is the racisit

[KC McElroy]

Baba cherto pert hayeh in martikeh qatari ra jeddi nagirid. Khodayish kheili dareh avazi harf mizaneh.

[Qatari]

[QUOTE=djmo;907647]How do you know which girl wants to or not marry a particular guy? You're way too out of touch with reality, you couln't defend any of the points I said. I said, your laws are racist, you say "but girls don't want to marry this or that." That's none of your business and you clearly are out of touch.
QUOTE]

you don't have points my dear u are just reapeating one point that arabs are racist . The law is not the same in all arab states it's diffrent from stat to state and in some states girls are more than men so thet banned men to marry any non arab woman or they will have social problem and the same thing if men more then women.

"Arab" gulf came from Pan-Arabism; how is that not anti-persian policy? PLUS, Baathists were foremost enemies of Iranians, this is easy to prove. Nasser also invoked many times Iran into his speeches..

syria is baathiest country and it's Iran's closest allie

i think u missed that my frind

[djmo]

Take it easy brother u seem really desturbed
1
yes arabs girls don't mary the falipinos and seri lankis as well becuse they are too far from the arab culture . the men in the easteren asian coutries are less gelious to thier females than the arabs and persians and this the thing we don't like.
2 u r mexing between nationalism which is in every country in the wrold and racisism which is bad to be in any comunity .
3 yes Pan Arabism is against zionts ( not the jews) but not against the pesians and I am Naseri and i cane asure u that
I think u did'nt understand the Aya becuse Quran here is talking about some Arabs in that time not the all Arabs in every time
at the end
i hope u became polite more than that and i am upset to read this

How do you know which girl wants to or not marry a particular guy? You're way too out of touch with reality, you couln't defend any of the points I said. I said, your laws are racist, you say "but girls don't want to marry this or that." That's none of your business and you clearly are out of touch.

"Arab" gulf came from Pan-Arabism; how is that not anti-persian policy? PLUS, Baathists were foremost enemies of Iranians, this is easy to prove. Nasser also invoked many times Iran into his speeches.

No point debating with you, you're not replying back to what I said, just making emotional appeal for pity.

[Suprah]

Where you read this?

I know the guy....goes by the name of Omid...he's also Kaebi's agent