Iraq: The Lions of Mesopotamia at Rio 2016

The Arabic nation only has two Olympic medals in their trophy cabinet, both bronze. One for weightlifting in 1960, the other for the men’s soccer team’s astonishing run to the semi-finals in Athens, 2004.

At Rio 2016, The Lions are in the hunt for another after clawing their way to qualifying to compete in Brazil.
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UEFA blow hot and cold on Kosovo

With the UEFA Champions League Qualifiers in full swing it is worth sparing a thought for the recently crowned 2016 Kosovo champions who were banned from entering the European completion on technical grounds.

The Panenka looks at football in the newly formed country as the 210th member of FIFA. 

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Football in Gibraltar Keeps on Rocking

The tiny enclave with a population of just 30,000 gained UEFA membership in May 2013, allowing the British territory to take part in Euro 2016 qualifying and will next be competing for FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification starting in September 2016.

In an interesting twist, local domestic champions, the Lincoln Red Imps recently pulled off a major upset in a UEFA Champions second round qualifier against fellow Brits Celtic with the second leg due to be played next week.

 The Panenka looks at a strange mix of football and politics in the British satellite state.

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