President Bafel: Gulf 25 is a historic event

Bafel Jalal Talabani, President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), praised the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup as a historic occasion that had been long anticipated.

The 25th Arabian Gulf Cup began on Friday, January 7th, in Iraq’s southern port city of Basra with tens of thousands of Iraqis in attendance to watch the matches.

"Gulf 25 is a historic event that came after a long time of waiting," President Bafel tweeted.

"Congratulations to the organizers, beloved Basra, and to all Iraqis on this momentous day. We wish the national team luck and anticipate that this will mark the start of a vigorous comeback to regional and global centers and the recovery of Iraq," he added.

The Arabian Gulf Cup first took place in 1970. The last time it was held in Iraq was in 1979, when the hosts were crowned champions. Iraq also won in 1984 and 1988. Political issues prevented Iraq from participating in the tournament from 1992 until the 2004 edition.

Since 2010, Basra had been chosen to host three different Gulf Cup competitions, but each time the location was altered owing to worries that Iraq was not secure enough.



Translated from Arabic and edited by Hiran Halwan
PUKMEDIA