Eight Players and a Bizarre Pause: The Iraqi League Match That Was Abandoned
23 December 2025
The Strange Stoppage in the Iraqi Premier League
Kahrabaa's first 3 points.
An Iraqi football match was canceled just 12 minutes after kickoff due to a bizarre incident.
Referee Mohammad Salah halted the Kahrabaa vs Al-Qasim game in the Iraqi Premier League's eighth round after 12 minutes due to ineligibility to continue.
The stoppage stemmed from Al-Qasim arriving with eight players, while players protested overdue salaries.
Kahrabaa scored through Nehad Mohammed in the third minute, and Ahmed Aied added a second from the spot in the ninth.
In the 12th minute, a Qasim player was injured, leaving no substitutes and forcing the match to be abandoned for safety as the opponent reached seven players.
Qasim were deemed to have withdrawn and lost 0-2 as officials review sanctions from the Iraqi Football Association.
Kahrabaa posted a Facebook statement expressing sympathy with Qasim and its fans.
Kahrabaa earned their first win of the season, reaching five points and climbing to 18th place, while Qasim sat bottom with one point.
Punchlines: If salaries were paid like goals, every match would end with a trophy. And maybe the referees would finally get a day off from the drama—wishful thinking, but hey, miracles happen between half-time and full-time.
