2015–16 Iraq FA Cup

2015–16 Iraq FA Cup
Country  Iraq
Championship venue Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad
Teams 31
Matches played 36
Goals scored 95 (2.64 per match)
Top goal scorer(s) Iraq Luay Salah (6 goals)
← 2012–13

The 2015–16 Iraq FA Cup is the 32nd season of the Iraqi knockout football cup competition, the main domestic cup in Iraqi football. It is the second edition being held after the 2002–03 edition, although the 2012–13 one was abandoned. At first, thirty-nine teams were set to participate in the competition, but after the withdrawals of most of the Iraqi Premier League, only days before the second round, clubs including Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba, Al-Hedood, Al-Sinaa, Naft Maysan, Najaf, Zakho, and Al-Kahraba,[1] a total of twelve teams from the Iraqi Premier League and nineteen from Iraq Division One ended up participating. It began on 5 October 2015 and will end on 25 June 2016 with the final at the Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad, which has hosted in since 1967.

The winner of the competition will qualify for the 2017 AFC Cup.[2] The winner also will host the 2016 Al Muthabara Cup at the start of the next season, and will face the champion of the 2015–16 Iraqi Premier League, unless the same team wins the league and the cup, completing a double. In that case, the runner up of the league will take the spot and host instead.

Ironically, the two sides who contested the most recent Iraq FA Cup final in 2003, where Al-Talaba defeated Al-Shorta 1–0, were the first two teams to withdraw from this year's competition.[3]

Format

Participation

The cup starts with a qualifying round of the 19 teams from the Iraq Division One, 14 of which play against each other and 5 of which automatically proceed to the next round. The 20 (later becoming 12) teams from the Iraqi Premier League join the other teams in the Round of 32.[4]

Draw

For the first round, the participating teams will be split into two pots of 9 teams in one and 10 in the other. For the remaining rounds other than the final, the draw will be conducted from just one pot. The final is held in the Al-Shaab Stadium, a nominally neutral venue.

Match rules

Teams meet in one game in the first round, round of 32 and round of 16. In the quarterfinals and semifinals, the teams will have two-legged ties. The final will have only one-leg. A match will take place for 90 minutes, with two halves of 45 minutes. If still tied after regulation or tied on aggregate, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, consisting of two periods of 15 minutes. If the score is still level after this, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout. A coin toss will decide who takes the first penalty.

Cards

If a player receives a second yellow card, they will be banned from the next cup match. If a player receives a red card, they will be banned a minimum of one match, but more can be added by the Iraq Football Association.

Participating clubs

The following 31 teams participated in the competition:

Iraqi Premier League
12 clubs from the 2015–16 season		 Iraq Division One
19 clubs from the 2015–16 season

Map

Baghdad
Duhok
Basra
Balad
Shahraban
Qazaniyah
Al-Qassim
Al-Sadda
Locations of the 2015–16 Iraq FA Cup clubs
Baghdad teams Duhok teams Basra teams
Al-Zawra'a
Baghdad
Al-Naft
Al-Oloom wal-Technologia
Al-Etisalat
Al-Jaish
Al-Karkh
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Difaa Al-Madani
Al-Hussein
Al-Khutoot
Al-Mahmoudiyah
Al-Najda
Al-Saha
Al-Sulaikh		 Duhok
Karah		 Al-Mina'a
Naft Al-Janoob

Schedule

The rounds of the 2015–16 competition are scheduled as follows:

Round Draw date and time Matches dates
Preliminary round 1 September 2015 5–6 October 2015
Round of 32 4 November 2015 10–12 November 2015
Round of 16 16–17 November 2015
Quarterfinals 15 December 2015 19 December 2015 – 2 January 2016
Semifinals 21 December 2015 9–16 January 2016
Final 4 April 2016 25 June 2016

Preliminary round

The first round was drawn on 1 September 2015 at 12:00 in the Iraq Football Association building in Baghdad by the Director of the Competitions Committee Shihab Ahmed.[5] The matches took place from 5–6 October 2015.[6]

Round of 32

The Round of 32 and the Round of 16 were drawn on 4 November 2015 at 12:00 in the Iraq Football Association building in Baghdad by the Director of the Competitions Committee Shihab Ahmed.[7] The matches took place from 10–12 November 2015.

Diyala, Al-Sulaikh, Al-Saha, Balad, and Al-Kufa gained automatic qualification to the Round of 32.

    Round of 16

    Round of 16 matches took place from 16–17 November 2015.

    Al-Khutoot, Naft Al-Janoob, Naft Al-Wasat, Al-Saha, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Jaish, Balad, and Duhok gained automatic qualification to the Round of 16 after the withdrawals of their respective opponents: Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba, Al-Hedood, Al-Sinaa, Naft Maysan, Najaf, Zakho, and Al-Kahraba in the Round of 32.

    Quarterfinals

    The draw for the quarterfinals was held on 15 December 2015 at 12:00 in the Iraq Football Association building in Baghdad by the Director of the Competitions Committee Shihab Ahmed.[8] The matches will take place from 19–27 December 2015.

    First leg

    19 December 2015
    14:00
    Al-Khutoot 0–1 Duhok
    Mushir  45'
    University of Baghdad Stadium, Baghdad

    22 December 2015
    14:00
    Naft Al-Janoob 3–2 Baghdad
    Mubarak  3'
    Abdel-Salam  45'
    Kadhim  74'     		Report Mohammed  20' (p)
    Amado  65'
    Naft Al-Janoob Stadium, Basra

    22 December 2015
    14:00
    Al-Hussein 2–1 Al-Zawra'a
    Kareem  65'
    Raad  89'     		Report Abdul-Zahra  74'
    Five Thousands Stadium, Baghdad

    27 December 2015
    14:00
    Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–1 Al-Karkh
    Abdulwahid  65' Bakari  43'

    Second leg

    27 December 2015
    14:00
    Duhok 2–2 Al-Khutoot
    Khalid  52'
    Mushir  89' (p)     		Karim  34'
    Saad  40' (p)

    Duhok won 3–2 on aggregate.

    27 December 2015
    14:00
    Baghdad 1–3 Naft Al-Janoob
    Nasr-Allah  49' Salam  24'
    Awdah  76'
    Jawad  88'

    Naft Al-Janoob won 6–3 on aggregate.

    28 December 2015
    13:30
    Al-Zawra'a 3–1 Al-Hussein
    Jafal  (p)
    Salah
    Zaidan     		Taha
    Al Sina'a Stadium, Baghdad

    Al-Zawraa won 4–3 on aggregate.

    2 January 2016
    13:30
    Al-Karkh 0–1 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
    Muhsin  48'

    Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won 2–1 on aggregate.

    Semifinals

    First leg

    9 January 2016
    14:00
    Naft Al-Janoob 0–2 Al-Zawra'a
    Report Salah  42'
    Ali  76'
    Naft Al-Janoob Stadium, Basra

    9 January 2016
    14:00
    Duhok 4–1 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
    Ibrahim  10'
    Al Douni  30'
    Mushir  62' (p)
    Mamoun  79'     		Report Hassan  25'
    Duhok Stadium, Duhok
    Referee: Nozad Salih

    Second leg

    15 January 2016
    14:30
    Al-Zawra'a 2–1 Naft Al-Janoob
    Abdul-Zahra  31', 63' Report Awda  87'
    Al Sina'a Stadium, Baghdad

    Al-Zawraa won 4–1 on aggregate.

    16 January 2016
    13:30
    Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 3–0 Duhok
    Muhsin  17'
    Ahmad  34'
    Wahid  58'     		Report

    4–4 on aggregate. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won on away goals.

    Final

    The final will be played at the Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad on 25 June 2016.

    Bracket

      Round of 16
    16–17 November 2015    		 Quarterfinals
    19 December 2015 – 2 January 2016    		 Semifinals
    9–16 January 2016    		 Final
    25 June 2016
                                         
     Naft Al-Janoob 1  
     Al-Samawa 0  
       Naft Al-Janoob 3 3 6  
       Baghdad 2 1 3  
     Al-Saha 0
     Baghdad 1  
       Naft Al-Janoob 0 1 1  
       Al-Zawraa 2 2 4  
     Al-Hussein 3  
     Balad 0  
       Al-Hussein 2 1 3
       Al-Zawraa 1 3 4  
     Al-Zawraa 4
     Diyala 0  
       Al-Zawraa
       Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
     Al-Khutoot 1  
     Karbalaa 0  
       Al-Khutoot 0 2 2
       Duhok 1 2 3  
     Duhok 2
     Al-Naft 1  
       Duhok 4 0 4
       Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1 3 4  
     Naft Al-Wasat 0  
     Al-Karkh 2  
       Al-Karkh 1 0 1
       Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1 1 2  
     Al-Jaish 1
     Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 3  

    Broadcasting rights

    The broadcasting rights were bought by Ishtar Cinema Production Co. Ltd from the Iraq Football Association for five seasons in the start of the 2015–16 season.[9] Iraqiya Sport signed a protocol with the company to televise the FA Cup and the Iraqi Premier League matches. From the first round until the second leg of the semifinals no channel was interested in buying the FA Cup matches' rights. On 10 January 2016, Iraqiya Sport bought the rights of the last three games of the competition.[10] However, the administrative board of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya refused to televise their match against Duhok on live TV.[11] On 4 April, the director of the production company, Mohammed Haijal, announced that the broadcasting rights of the final were given to Al-Kass Sports Channel.[12]

    Round Live TV games
    Iraqiya Sport Channel
    Preliminary round N/A
    Round of 32
    Round of 16
    Quarterfinals
    Semifinals Al-Zawraa vs Naft Al-Janoob[13]
    Al-Kass Sports Channel
    Final Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya vs Al-Zawraa

    References

    1. 1 2 "Al-Zawra'a defeat Al-Difaa Al-Madani and reach the Round of 16 for the Iraq FA Cup". Moujaz Al-Iraq (in Arabic). November 10, 2015.
    2. ↑ "The winner of the cup will be Iraq's representative in the AFC Cup". Mouazin News (in Arabic). Moujaz Al-Iraq. November 17, 2015.
    3. ↑ Mubarak, Hassanin (December 29, 2003). "Iraq 2002/03". RSSSF.
    4. ↑ "The draw of the first round of the Iraq FA Cup is over with the participation of 19 teams" (in Arabic). Hamrin News. Al-Mada Press. September 1, 2015.
    5. ↑ "Today, the football association hold the FA Cup conference" (in Arabic). Albaghdadia News. September 1, 2015.
    6. ↑ "Hot ties in the draw of the FA Cup" (in Arabic). Ahrar Al-Iraq. September 2, 2015.
    7. ↑ "Today, the FA draws the Round of 32 of the Iraq FA Cup" (November 4, 2015). Iraq News Network (in Arabic).
    8. ↑ "Football Association set the dates of the FA Cup matches". Moujaz Al-Iraq (in Arabic). December 15, 2015.
    9. ↑ "Ishtar to broadcast the Iraqi Premier League". Al-Amal Sport (in Arabic). October 13, 2015.
    10. ↑ "Ishtar Cinema Production Co. Ltd". Facebook (in Arabic). January 10, 2016.
    11. ↑ Essa, Sami (January 16, 2016). "Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya refuse to televise their match against Duhok in the cup". Kooora (in Arabic).
    12. ↑ "Mohammed Haijal". Facebook (in Arabic). April 4, 2016.
    13. ↑ "Goals of Al-Zawraa 2-1 Naft Al-Janoob - 15/1/2016 - Second leg of the Iraq FA Cup Semifinals". Youtube (in Arabic). Iraqi Soccer Network. January 14, 2016.
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