IRNA - Iraq's Minister of Youth and Sports Abdul-Hussein Abtaan said that Iran has always been a secure place for Iraqi teams, adding that countries should refrain from politicizing sport.


Speaking to the Islamic Repubic News Agency (IRNA) on Thursday, he said that sport should remain away from political differences, as it is the best means for boosting friendship among countries.

'Iraqi national teams have always enjoyed Iran and its stadiums as a host for games with other countries, and there has never occurred any incident,' he said.

On the achievements of his ministry when the country was struggling against terrorist challenges, Abtaan said that 'despite financial problems, Iraq did well in infrastructure and constructing stadiums.'

The Iraqi minister referred to building a stadium with a capacity of 65,000 in Basra, a stadium in Karbala with a capacity of 30,000 and a number of other stadiums in Baghdad, Najaf, Maysan and Zakho as the examples of efforts made in Iraq to revive its sport sector.