TOKYO, Dec 31: Iraq coach Adnan Hamd has walked out on the national team after his home was destroyed. Hamd, who took Iraq to the Asian Cup quarterfinals and the last four of the Athens Olympics this year, quit just three weeks after being named Asian coach of the year.

"I was hoping that I could continue... but there are a lot of security problems in Iraq," Hamd was quoted by FootballAsia.com on Friday.

"I have just received a call that my home was destroyed... this situation is very hard for me."

Hamd's resignation comes a week after the end of the 2004 Gulf Cup in Doha, where Iraq suffered a first-round exit. -Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Centre vs provinces
Updated 10 Jun, 2026

Centre vs provinces

The reason the centre finds itself in this position is rooted in its failure to expand the tax net and boost revenues.
Party in crisis
10 Jun, 2026

Party in crisis

THE young KP chief minister must be starting to realise just how thorny a seat he occupies. There has been a flurry...
Varsity woes
10 Jun, 2026

Varsity woes

FINANCIAL crises affecting public sector universities across Pakistan are now having an impact on academic...
Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....