Baghdad [Iraq], February 11 (ANI): Abdul Ghani Shahad has been named as the new head coach of the Iraq men's national football team.

The 53-year-old replaces Montenegrin Zeljko Petrovic following Iraq's poor results in Group A of the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

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After retiring as a player in 1999, the former defender coached Al Najaf before moving to several other clubs in Iraq.

Shahad also coached the Iraq U23 national team on several occasions, including the 2016 AFC U23 Championship where they finished third. He was also appointed as an interim coach for the senior side in 2016.

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Iraq are fifth in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers on five points with just two matches - against UAE and Syria next month - remaining. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)