Born in 1978, Ahmed Abdul Jabbar quickly explored his talents on the streets of Baghdad. An electrical engineer and a midfield wizard, Ahmed has had to work extra hard to earn accolades for being the rookie of the year in the Iraqi League as well as being selected the best midfielder in the country twice. His fearless attitude in taking the ball to the opponent has made his style of play an asset to all teams that he had played for. Being such a young player, Ahmed has had the opportunity to live alongside recent changes in the way football in Iraq is heading. His intellect and insight are here, for your reading pleasure, only on shakomakonet.

shakomakonet: Tell us about your earlier memories of playing the beautiful sport?
Ahmed: Any player in the world starts in the streets or through local teams. Our neighborhood, Al Ghazaliya, boasted Nijoom (Stars of) Al Ghazaliya, and I played with them. Through that experience, I realized that God had given me a talent. After finishing high school in Baghdad, my father’s gift to me was that he would sign me up to play in a club. I didn’t want a bike or anything like that. After playing for fun, I was tested by Al Rasheed, and I must have done well in that test because very shortly after that I was playing for the youth squad. I stayed at Al Rasheed, which of course was later known as Al Karkh for another three years and eventually made it to their first team before my move to Al Zawraa in the 97/98 season.

shakomakonet: What gave you the drive to train and play?
Ahmed: When I was younger, I used to think differently from most of the other boys my age. I wasn’t interested in money. Instead, I was inspired by the stardom of some players like Laith Hussein. I loved football, and I wanted to become famous. Later on, when I joined the same club that Laith and the likes of Ahmed Radhi played for, that reenergized my ambitions. In fact, Laith Hussein has had a tremendous effect on me.

shakomakonet: Ahmed, you have a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering. How difficult was it being a student and having to play professional football at the same time?
Ahmed: It was tough to study and play. Football requires travel, and training, which both take up a lot of time. The subject that I was studying was hard as well. But my dad’s condition was that if I failed in school then there were would be no football. But I did it. I feel that having the experience of formal education deals has enabled me to deal with coaches’ tactics better, and perhaps has also even helped me on the field in certain situations. Although the ability to play soccer is mostly a natural talent, there are factors that help to refine and develop that talent, and that includes schooling

shakomakonet: What are your memories of your first club game?
Ahmed: I was on the youth team at the time, when one day I got a phone call at home. I was told that the senior squad had a game against Al Shorta, and that they were short some players because many of them were selected to play for the Olympic squad. Myself and two other players were going to be called up that day to fill in the void. So I grabbed my shoes, called my friend, and took the bus (fortat) to the People’s (Shaab) stadium. When we got to the stadium, I wasn’t allowed into the players’ area because they had never seen me before and I must have looked too young to be a player for Al Karkh. I was forced to buy a ticket and I had to find my way on my own. I luckily spotted someone from the club who was actually looking for me and I was taken into the dressing room. I didn’t even have my own jersey. I had to wear someone else’s. After sitting on the bench for the first half, Douglas Aziz who was our head coach at the time told me that I was going on in the second half. And in the final fifteen minutes, he gave me the signal to go on with our team down 2-1. Being on the field, playing against a soccer giant like Al Shorta, and having the stadium packed with their fans, I was very nervous. Towards the end of the game, I was in the penalty box when a teammate of mine shot the ball at Emad Hashim. The rebound came right to me, and I put it away into the net. I scored the tying goal. On the way back home, the busses were packed with Al Shorta fans that were all at the same game. I remember them saying “look at him, he looks so small.” They swore at me, but that didn’t take away the joy I was naturally feeling.

shakomakonet: After playing in the Iraqi league, you came to the Q-League, how was that different?
Ahmed: I came to play for Al Shamal here in Qatar two years ago. Firstly, Al Shamal isn’t the kind of club that I aspire to play for. But, I chose Qatar to benefit from the exposure that the Q-League is enjoying by virtue of their purchase of superstars. The Iraqi league, however, is still stronger. The teams back home are much more competitive, and Iraqi players seem to be more competitive in general. But, being in Qatar, has allowed me to play and train in world class facilities under the scrupulous eye of the world. It’s very different.

shakomakonet: How are the fans different?
Ahmed: I think the lack of fans here presents a serious barrier to the development of Qatari football. If a player sprouts in the eyes of the crowd, he will naturally excel more on the pitch.

shakomakonet: You played this past season with a club (Al Shamal) that boasted three Iraqi stars. How was that experience?
Ahmed: I’ve played with Haider Mahmood before in Al Zawraa, where we were even roommates. With regards to Razzaq (Farhan), this is the first time we really play together. We’ve only played a couple of games together, and that was for the national team. Haider is the captain of the national team, and our club, and is the best Iraqi defender to score. Razzaq has all the characteristics of a great striker: speed, height, skill, and headers. Our impact on the team was obvious, especially Razzaq. And as a midfielder, my job is to feed balls to the strikers. When I was playing, the first player that I would think of getting the ball to would be Razzaq. He makes you want to give the ball to him by his movements off the ball. We obviously enjoyed a relationship and understanding that was unique to our common experiences. We were conscious of using that element during our play.

shakomakonet: You were injured for a while. How tough was it being injured and seeing your friends play?
Ahmed: I sometimes didn’t want to go to training. When a player sees his team on the field and that player is unable to help them, a player will become frustrated and sad. But thanks to their support, and through reassurances by the club administration, I was able to pull through it.

shakomakonet: When did you play your first game for Iraq?
Ahmed: It was against Lebanon in a trial game in Beirut in 1997/1998. Just to be called up to the national team is a huge honor. What can I say? I couldn’t believe that I was going to travel with so many players who I looked up to. I was young, and it gave me confidence when I returned to the club.

shakomakonet: Have you ever scored for the national team?
Ahmed: I’ve scored in friendly games during our training camp in Italy. On the Olympic team, I scored against Saudi Arabia, and got player of the match that day. I also scored against Iran in the West Asian Football Federation tournament.

shakomakonet: How is scoring for Iraq different than scoring for your club?
Ahmed: When I score for Al Zawraa, only my fans are cheering, and others are probably cursing me. Whereas on the national team, when I score, I know that everyone is happy. Even people that aren’t interested in football.

shakomakonet: Iraq enjoys a great football culture. With regards to sports media in Iraq, what are some of the positives and negatives that you have noticed throughout your experience?
Ahmed: There are inherent positives associated with the media for anybody who is a public figure. Fans get to know you through the media, and know more about all the other players. Through some of the positive criticism given out by sports writers, a player can review himself. Some of the polls can give a player a certain name or title and sparks their competitive edge. Some of the negatives, however, are that some of the journalists have nothing to do with football and write about matters that they know nothing about. This affects the psyche of a player. Anywhere in the world, players go through times that are bad for them; bad games. Opponents get to know that the player is dangerous, and it becomes difficult for a player to maintain his standards. The opposition uses various methods of taking away the prowess of that player. The media will take these games and make something big out of nothing.

shakomakonet: How did the notorious, now former, Olympic committee affect your play on the field?
Ahmed: Thank god I was lucky not to be physically punished, but many of my friends and teammates were. This harms the confidence of a player. Especially in situations like penalty kicks, all the players didn’t want to take the shots because they would consider the punishments if the missed. It was horrible.

shakomakonet: Were there any other factors that diversely affected your play?
Ahmed: We felt ignored and we were made to feel not like the other teams, especially teams from the gulf who had no visa problems. We had to sit on the floor for hours with our luggage. And that had an effect on the field. In other countries, players are placed in such high regard. Not us.

shakomakonet: With so much danger and under such horrible conditions, why do you play then?
Ahmed: This is a question not be asked. It’s a duty on every player to play for his country. To wear the flag on your chest and represent all the peoples of Iraq is a huge honor. No matter how terrible the conditions were in which we played, every player still dreamt of being a player on the national team.

shakomakonet: Do you think that Iraqi football is finally on the right path?
Ahmed: The situation in Iraq is very difficult right now. There is no security, no playing fields, no financing. But I think that the future is going to be bright. Before, the pressures were unbearable. In fact, I believe that Iraqi football will develop in a record time especially in comparison to the teams in the region.

shakomakonet: What about German coach Bernd Stange?
Ahmed: He let me down. In front of me, he would always allude to his dependence on me and others who played football abroad. But when we went to play abroad, he changed. I played in the LG Cup with Razzaq, and he said that he depends on our experience and skill. But after that, he changed his mind. Stange is the kind of coach that would play anyone. Any player who he sees in front of him, he is willing to coach. I don’t understand how he gauges a player’s value to the team. He is a very average coach. There are many Iraqi coaches that are better like Adnan Hamad, Adnan Dirjal, and Thair Jassam.

shakomakonet: What about Ammu Baba?
Ahmed: He is one of the most prolific Iraqi coaches of all time. He has done a lot for many Iraqi players. And despite the fact that he hates me for being short, he is someone who I look up to for being courageous in that he will play an unknown player for a club’s first side or even the national team, and continue to support him. Most other coaches would be scared.

shakomakonet: During these difficult times, do you think a foreign or domestic coach would be more beneficial for Iraq?
Ahmed: As a player, I always want to apply the coach’s tactics and to carry out his instructions in the most complete fashion possible. It doesn't matter if the coach is Iraqi or not. The problem is that the Iraqi FA, and most Arab Associations for that matter, afford more to the foreign coach than to the domestic one. A foreign coach gets more facilities and training camps abroad. But not an Iraqi coach. Iraqi coaches are held much more responsible for their mistakes and are very disposable.

shakomakonet: Over three years ago, during the 2002 World Cup qualifications why didn’t we qualify?
Ahmed: The main reasons were the coaching changes (common in the Arab world). Even coaches that have been with a team for a long time, who know the players and the tactics were changed overnight. In those qualifications, we changed over fifty players but we still played well especially against the Saudis.

shakomakonet: We are on the verge of another Asian Cup, why was the last one in Lebanon so bad for you guys?
Ahmed: The coach had no confidence in the team. Milan, who now coaches Yemen. When we tied with Lebanon, you saw how he conducted himself (Milan was celebrating while the Iraqi players were dejected at tying a humble side like the Lebanese). When the coach has no confidence in the football; that has a tremendous effects on the players and the team.

shakomakonet: Ahmed, if you were to become the coach of Iraq, who would make up your starting eleven?
Ahmed: That’s a tough question, but I will answer it just for shakomakonet. In goalkeeping, I like Noor Sabri, and Saad Nassir. In defense, I would put Haider Obaid, Haider Mahmood, Bassim Abbas, and Hayder Jabbar. I think that we have many midfielders, and I am very impressed with all of them. Players like Ahmed Kadhum, Abbas Raheem, Mahid Kareem, Abdul Wahab Abu Al Heil, Nashat Akram, Fawzi Abdel Sada from Al Talaba would all make great midfielders. Up front, I would have to definitely choose between Razzaq Farhan, Emad Mohammed, and Younis Mahmood.

shakomakonet: Who is the best Iraqi player of all time?
Ahmed: By looking at his accomplishments, it must be Ahmed Radhi.

shakomakonet: What team is Iraq’s toughest Asian opponent?
Ahmed: South Korea

shakomakonet: What about the toughest crowd to play against?
Ahmed: When we play in Tehran in the Azadi Stadium, the crowd is huge. It is very intimidating.

shakomakonet: Out of the Green, Black, and White jerseys that Iraq has put on, which color do you feel the most optimistic about?
Ahmed: I feel most lucky in the green.

shakomakonet: Ahmed, you are a married man, how does marital life affect you as a player?
Ahmed: Especially while playing abroad here in Qatar, myself and other married player live the best life possible with our family and kids here with us. When I first came to Qatar without my family, I had a tough time. We weren’t used to cooking and other household chores. Now I feel much better. Even the club said that they had noticed a change for the better with me after my wife came to join me.

shakomakonet: You also have a beautiful baby daughter as well. How do you feel about having your children play professional football?
Ahmed: If I felt that my son had the talent then I would encourage him. But if he didn’t then I would not. Otherwise, it is difficult for someone to play only because their father was a footballer. But, I wish that my son would play.

shakomakonet: This summer, the Asian Cup is in China, and Iraq is playing in a group with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia. What do you think of your chances?
Ahmed: It is a tough group. But we are optimistic. We feel that we have good players in all positions. We just have to look at every game as if it were the final game. We need to get the most points possible out of all our group matches.

shakomakonet: What about the World Cup in Germany, are we going to qualify?
Ahmed: In our group (Iraq, Palestine, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan), Iraq will compete with Uzbekistan to go through to the second round. In the second and final round, things will be difficult. Serious combined efforts on behalf of the association, the players, and the coaching staff will be needed to give us a chance to compete. The teams in the later stages are very difficult. Asian football has taken great strides in the last couple of years.

shakomakonet: What would you say to Iraqi football fans reading this interview worldwide?
Ahmed: I want them to be patient. I trained in Iraq after the war and the conditions are difficult. We have to be in our cars and on our way home before it gets dark, the fields are in horrible conditions, and players make very little money. They should look at these factors. We are in difficult times. I urge them to support the Iraqi team to the last and final moment. It’s a team that deserves to win. Iraqi players are rare in their talent and desire to win.

shakomakonet: What is your favorite food?
Ahmed: I like all good food, especially pizza.

shakomakonet: Who is your favorite singer?
Ahmed: Kadhum El Saher.

shakomakonet: Where is your favorite place in Iraq?
Ahmed: It must be my home when I am with my family.

shakomakonet: If you were sentenced to life on a desolate island, and you were allowed to only take three things or three people with you. How would make your choices?
Ahmed: With regards to three things I would mainly take the Koran, and use it to pray to Allah and ask Him to get me off the island. And maybe a ball to play with. Maybe I can find a monkey on the island to play with. And about the people, can’t I choose more? But if it had to be three then I take my mother, my wife, and my daughter.

shakomakonet: Ahmed, thank you so much for your time and dedication. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Ahmed: I want to thank all the coaches that helped me along the way. These include Douglas Aziz, Adnan Hamad, and Amer Jameel.

Special thanks to all those that helped in recording and documenting this interview. Without you, this would not have been possible.