The assistant director of the referees' department in the Iraqi Football Association, Hussein Turki, confirmed that the use of Arab referees in the Premier League matches comes as part of a plan aimed at marketing the competition, exchanging refereeing experiences, and alleviating pressure on Iraqi referees during high-attendance matches.
Turki stated in a statement to the news agency Video, that marketing the Premier League is not limited to attracting professional players and organizing promotional campaigns, but also includes bringing in international referees from various countries, which contributes to expanding the league's following in their countries, noting the involvement of referees from Egypt, Kuwait, and Jordan.
He added that the Iraqi Federation is working to enhance cooperation with similar football federations through the exchange of refereeing teams, explaining that the use of a Jordanian refereeing crew for managing matches in the Iraqi league coincided with sending Iraqi referees to participate in officiating matches in Jordan.
He pointed out that four Iraqi referees, including two main referees and two assistant referees, participated in a women’s tournament held in the Jordanian capital Amman, as part of the mutual cooperation between the two federations.
Turki clarified that one of the goals of involving international referees is to manage some high-pressure matches that attract significant attention from the public, media, and social media platforms, affirming that this step does not indicate a flaw in the local refereeing standards but comes as part of the competition's development and the utilization of external experiences, highlighting that Iraqi referees possess the ability and competence to manage matches effectively.
He indicated that the selection of foreign referees is done in coordination with the Iraqi Football Association, after studying the lists of referees in the relevant countries and reviewing their levels and rankings, and choosing the top candidates from their countries, ensuring the recruitment of highly competent and experienced refereeing teams to officiate Premier League matches.