January 7, 2023
Reda Saleem (Dubai)
The city of Basra passed the opening of the “Gulf 2025” successfully, following the great celebration that took place on the first day of the great Gulf event, which witnessed two matches. However, the opening ceremony caught the lights early at the “Palm Trunk” stadium, and was preceded by a large celebration on the Basra Corniche, in which a large number of The masses of the Gulf countries, in addition to the many activities that had a great reaction.
The Iraqi masses were keen to be present and welcome the guests in order to contribute to the success of the Gulf event, which they had waited for 44 years, which appeared in the streets and shops, and some were keen to offer free drinks to the public accompanied by the phrase “Welcome to you”.
The first day witnessed 6 scenes, starting with the completion of the Basra International Stadium with the audience, as 65,000 spectators attended the opening, as the stands were filled 4 hours before the kick-off, in addition to the failure of a large number of the audience to reach the stadium due to the large crowds and the desire of everyone to attend the opening.
The second scene was in the ceremony, which was wonderful in the presence of political and sports personalities, led by Muhammad Shayaa Al-Sudani, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Gianni Infantino, President of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), and a number of Arab ministers and ambassadors from various countries, and Gulf presidents and personalities, and a group of Iraqi artists presented an operetta « Here is Basra”, who sang regarding this city and its landmarks, and another elite reviewed the history and civilizations of Mesopotamia through a distinctive historical painting. Poems and prose were also recited, with the release of an Iraqi song with a Gulf flavor that sang to the teams participating in the tournament.
The artist Hussam Al-Rassam presented a lyrical poem with beautiful melodies interspersed with paintings that tell the colors of the Iraqi and Gulf spectrum. The artist, Rahma Riyad, presented a distinctive lyrical interlude with the launch of fireworks, amid a large crowd interaction that exceeded 65,000 spectators, following which the Iraqi Prime Minister announced the kick-off.
And the third scene was in the beautiful evening, on the field following the opening match between Iraq and Oman ended in a goalless draw, which is the fifth in the history of the opening confrontations of the Gulf Cup between the two teams 1970-2023, so that the owner of the land continued to fail to achieve victory in the opening of the Gulf Cup for nearly three decades. And for the 13th edition in a row.
The fourth scene also came technically, with Saudi Arabia’s victory with Yemen, a victory that established the “no victory” complex for Yemen through 9 participations in the Gulf Cup since its participation in the 2003 edition in Kuwait until now, as the Yemeni national team played 31 matches in the Gulf Championship, tied in six. of them, and defeated in the rest.
While the fifth scene was in the withdrawal of the Kuwaiti delegation from the opening ceremony, and the controversy that aroused, the statement of the Kuwaiti Football Association revealed the truth, as it issued a statement in the middle of the night to reveal the truth and confirm that a public stampede and severe crowding, which prevented the entry of the representative of the Emir of Kuwait, Chairman of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, Sheikh Fahd Nasser, to the opening ceremony, for his safety and the safety of his accompanying delegation.
And the statement continued: “In order to preserve the status and importance of the tournament, and in support of the brothers, the Kuwait football team will continue to participate in the activities of the tournament.”

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