After heavy loss to France.. Zaid Tahseen deactivates Instagram amid fan backlash

Zaid Tahseen, Iraq’s defender, deactivated his Instagram account on Friday after a wave of fan criticism following Iraq’s 3-0 defeat to France in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stage. The match, played on June 22, 2026, marked Iraq’s third straight loss in its last five games and left the team pointless after defeats to Norway and France.

What happened with Zaid Tahseen?

Tahseen’s two back-pass errors in the matches against Norway and France directly led to goals against Iraq. In the opener against Norway, his misplaced pass to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan was intercepted by Erling Haaland, who opened the scoring. He repeated the mistake against France, playing a poor pass to reserve goalkeeper Ahmad Basil that Kylian Mbappé pounced on to make it 2-0. Tahseen was immediately substituted after the second goal and faced fierce criticism from fans across social media.

Why did fans target Zaid Tahseen?

Iraqi fans flooded Tahseen’s Instagram with angry messages, blaming him for both defeats. Observers noted he quickly deleted old posts and negative comments before deciding to shut down the account entirely to escape further abuse. The swift reaction followed stats showing Iraq’s defensive frailties, especially in the backline.

How will Iraq handle the crisis?

Iraq now turns to a must-win clash with Senegal on Monday to keep World Cup hopes alive. The team has lost four of its last five games, with only a single draw in that span. Head coach Jalal Ali told reporters the side will focus on fixing defensive errors and correcting individual mistakes in key moments.

Last result: France 3-0 Iraq (2026-06-22).