Iraqis hope the Gulf cup will bring good fortune to country

[Anthea]

Gulf cup in Basra

The public in Basra hope that hosting the 25th Gulf Cup in Basra would bring good fortune to Iraq and strengthen social cohesion and unity among the people of the Gulf countries

Basra people welcome tens of thousands of football fans from across the region who have visited the southern Iraqi city to attend the tournament.

“We have taken an amazing initiative to host the Gulf Cup. We welcome all the dear Arab brothers. I hope they have a wonderful time. I hope a door of fortune will be opened to Iraq through the Gulf Cup and that our country will become a much better place compared with the past," Sadiq Ahmed, a taxi driver, told Rudaw on Tuesday.

Farooq Saadoon, another Basra resident who works as a fisherman said they are "proud of this event."  

"We were dreaming of it. We had long been waiting for it to be held here. Thanks to God, the dream has finally come true," Sadoon added.

Basra is set to host the 25th Gulf Cup from January 6 to January 19. The tournament was initially set to take place in December 2022 but was postponed as it was believed to be scheduled too close to the World Cup in Qatar.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/030120232