What happened?
The first round of the Iraqi Premier League has come to an end, with three matches taking place on the pitches of Dohuk, Arbil, and Baghdad. The Dohuk Stadium in Dohuk will host a match between Dohuk and their guest team, Gharraf, in a match where both teams are seeking to win all three points. The Arbil Stadium will host a match between Arbil and their guest team, Electricity, where Arbil will be seeking to win the match, while Electricity, under the leadership of their coach Hassan Ahmed, will be seeking to avoid defeat. The Police Stadium in Baghdad will host a match between the Police and their guest team, Karbala, where the Police will be seeking to win the match and achieve a good start, while Karbala, the new team in the competition, will be seeking to avoid defeat in their first match after a two-year absence. Said Sami Tarabulsy, the Police coach: 'The start of the season is always important, and I hope that this season will be successful in all aspects. We are looking for a positive start, and the Police, with those who are present, will play the match despite some absences.' He added: 'There is no easy match in football, and we deal with all teams equally, with the same discipline and focus.' He explained: 'The player, Mimi, embodied a type of loyalty and courage in his return to the Police team, despite the many offers. I came to the Police not to play in the second tier, as it is a champion team, and it has titles that come with collective efforts and the support of the fans.' Meanwhile, Haydar Jabar, the assistant coach of Karbala, said: 'Qahthan Jithir, the coach of Karbala, has been exposed to a severe health problem, and I know the difficulty of the match against a popular team like the Police, which has a strong team and has the advantage of the home crowd.' He explained: 'We have worked on intensifying the training units to raise the team's readiness, and we hope to present a match that suits Karbala, and their return to the Stars League. ## Why does this matter for Iraq? Iraq is seeking to win in the final match of the first round, where the team must win against their guest team, Gharraf, in the Dohuk Stadium. ## What comes next? The Arbil Stadium will host a match between Arbil and their guest team, Electricity, where Arbil will be seeking to win the match. ## What about the players? Said Sami Tarabulsy, the Police coach: 'The player, Mimi, embodied a type of loyalty and courage in his return to the Police team.' He added: 'We have worked on intensifying the training units to raise the team's readiness.'
