The shining star in the ranks of the Iraqi national team Aso Rostam was arrested in Erbil International Airport ahead of Gulf Championship 25 held in Basra from January 6th to 19th yet later was released.
Rostam, who scored the second goal against the Saudi national team on January 9th, had no idea that the arrest warrant was issued against him in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region IKR, has not been cancelled at the Iraqi airports.
Aso Rostam, 29, who scored the second goal against Kingdom of Saudi Arabia KSAwith a beautiful header and contributed to the victory of the Iraqi team two zero, was born in 1994 in a camp for the displaced in the city of Ramadi, center of Anbar province on the borders with Syria. In 2004, his family moved to Kalar district in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
Rostam graduated from the Institute of Sports and has so far played in the ranks of several football clubs, including Newroz, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah Peshmerga, Dohuk and Karbala, and last June he joined the Salmiya Club of Kuwait.
Muhammad Rostam, Aso’s brother, told KirkukNow, his brother was affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG and worked in the Forestry and Environment Police in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
Before joining the Salmiya Club, he requested a two-year unpaid leave, but his requests were delayed because it was sent by mail and the approval of his request has expired before arrival.
Video: Aso Rostam scoring his first goal and the second for Iraq against KSA
Officially, he was considered absent from work, and then an arrest warrant was issued against him on the pretext of not being committed to working hours, even though he applied for unpaid leave.
However, according to the letter by the Forest and Environment Police on November 13, 2022 to the Sulaymaniyah Governorate Police, in which reference was made to canceling the arrest warrant against Aso Rostam, “after he surrendered himself to the investigation committee.”
In the same month, he was granted one-year unpaid leave and the problem was dealt with.
"The problem started from here, as the decision to cancel the arrest warrant against Aso have not been sent to the airports."
Before the start of the Gulf Cup matches in Basra, Aso went to Erbil International Airport in order to join the Iraqi national team, but he was arrested there and prevented from traveling.
"When we learned about this, we took the order to cancel the arrest warrant and the permit documents to Erbil airport, but when we got there, the plane had taken off, so he traveled by car after obtaining the permit," Muhammad says.
In the second match for the Iraqi national team, which took place on the night of January 9, despite his participation in the second half only, Aso scored a wonderful goal against the KSA, and helped his team win.
Aso's goal was warmly welcomed, and the pictures and video of the goal went viral on social media networks in Iraq.
The Iraqi broadcaster, Mona Sami, posted on her Facebook account a picture of (Aso Rostom) during his celebration of scoring the goal and wrote, "In Basra, the Kurdistan Region scored a goal, how wonderful is our diversity! The first (Kurdish) goal in the (Arab) Gulf Championship 25. The lion (Aso Rostam), has proven that no religion, sect, or nationality, Iraq is United, and there is no consolation for those who want to divide us.”
Aso Rostom, whose family currently lives in the Arbat district of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, got married in 2018, and is the father of a four-year-old child.
On Wednesday, January 11, Aso Rostom told KirkukNow that he and his teammates are preparing for the Yemen match scheduled for Thursday, January 12. Iraq has beaten Yemen 5-0, topping his group to meet the second team from the second group on January 16th, 2023.
Aso seeks to win the confidence of his coach and help the Iraqi team and his teammates to reach the golden square.
