Iraq to play Syria in friendly in Sulaimaniya Dec. 18

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq will play Syria in a friendly match in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya on Dec. 18 within preparations for the Asia Cup of Nations finals, said the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) financial secretary on Sunday. “The match falls within preparations for the Asia Cup of Nations tournament finals to be hosted in the Qatari capital Doha on January 7-29, 2011,” Abdulkhaleq Massoud told IraqiNews.com news agency. Iraq will play Syria again in Damascus this month and then leave for Riyadh to play Saudi Arabia on Dec. 28 before heading for Dubai to have a training camp for the first match in the tournament versus Iran, Massoud added. The Asia Cup of Nations 2011 finals will see Iraq playing in Group D with North Korea, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran. Iraq exited the semi-final of the Arabian Gulf Cup of Nations (Khaleeji 20) after it lost shootouts to Kuwait. AmR (P) 205