Hameed delighted with Cup success

Dubai: Iraq's assistant coach Rahim Hameed does not have any regrets - what he was unable to achieve as a player, he has done now as an assistant coach.

"It gives me a great sense of joy to be winning the Asian Cup. Sure I could not win it as a player, but at least I have done so as a coach," Hameed told Gulf News as his team took part in the felicitation ceremony at Al Ahli Club late on Tuesday.

Hameed, now 39, was a constant fixture in the national squad from 1980 till 1993. His moment of joy was when Iraq qualified to the 1986 Fifa World Cup in Mexico.

"We did not do well there, but at least we achieved a dream of playing in a World Cup," Hameed said.

"But there is no substitute to success, like this one where we believed in ourselves and went on to become the best team in Asia," he added.

Extra special

"Whether one wins a trophy as a coach or as a player, both are on equal footing... a win is a win... and this one is extra special."

Hameed now takes over the team, though briefly, following the resignation of Iraq's coach at the Asian Cup, Jorvan Vieira.

"I have to look after the affairs of the team now till such time a decision is taken by the Iraq Football Association regarding the next coach," Hameed admitted.

Reflecting on their Asian Cup triumph on Sunday, Hameed said the element of self-belief crept into the side following their semifinal win against South Korea.

"That was the turning point for us all. After beating a strong team like South Korea, the players just decided they wanted to win the Cup for the Iraqi people," Hameed related.

The start of qualifying to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is the next immediate task at hand for the squad.

"The team will now disband and go to their respective clubs. The federation will meet in the next couple of weeks and things will be clearer," the assistant coach stated.