While still disappointed at losing their chance to qualify for next year’s World Cup, Iraq’s players are at least relieved they won’t have to cope with the Johannesburg traffic again.
The squad has been preparing for today’s Confederations Cup opener against host South Africa with regular training sessions, but the city sprawl and the traffic that at times chokes its main motorways makes it tricky to keep players focused and in top physical condition.
The 45km journey from the team hotel to training at Ruimsig Stadium just outside the city took an hour on Friday. That delayed the start of the open session by 35 minutes, pushing the practice game into the dark and cold winter evening.
PHOTO: AP
“This is a big problem,” Iraq playmaker Nashat Akram said. “The hotel we live in is not a five-star or six-star hotel and the journey to training is so far, maybe one hour.”
But the squad is at pains to stress that the country’s friendly fans have compensated for the difficulties they face.
“This is the price you pay to be here,” Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic said. “It is better to be here and travel a little bit more. It is not easy to make perfect conditions but the people of South Africa make great efforts to make everybody happy.”
About 100 people attended training on Friday, cheering every spectacular volley and diving save.
They chanted names, including that of striker Younis Mahmoud, while Akram, who has signed a contract for next season with Dutch league runners-up FC Twente, cheerfully posed for photographs and signed his autograph across the back of some young South African fans’ jerseys.
Milutinovic said he had the players believing in themselves again after they followed their surprise Asian Cup title with a dismal elimination from the Gulf Cup and failure to challenge for a place at the 2010 World Cup.
And the veteran Serb coach, who has led five teams at the World Cup, is hoping the atmosphere generated by the passionate South African fans helps inspire his players.
“It’s important to believe and important to play,” Milutinovic said. “I hope the atmosphere helps. The ambiance can inspire. For me, to be in this competition one year before the World Cup is so exciting.”
Familiar with the pressure that can come from fervent fans desperate for success to lift and bind a whole country, Iraq’s players hope the noisy Bafana Bafana fans can do them a favor.
“We hope we can make our target and qualify for the next round,” Akram said. “There may be more pressure on South Africa because the fans want South Africa to score or make something, but this is football.”
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