The work around a national football team extends well beyond the coaching staff and players on the pitch. Travel arrangements, training facilities, communication with football authorities and preparations for international matches all form part of the administrative side of the game. Gath Abdul-Karim Muhana has worked in several of these areas during his involvement with the Iraq national football team.
Muhana’s association with Iraqi football included work connected with teams competing in international tournaments. His name appears in the Asian Football Confederation’s official records for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where he was listed as a logistics officer for Iraq.
His work also brought him into contact with football organisations and clubs in Australia. In July 2016, Muhana travelled to Perth on behalf of the Iraq Football Association while arrangements were being considered for the Iraqi national team. A-Leagues reported that he inspected training grounds and met with Perth Glory chief executive Peter Filopoulos. Discussions also included the possibility of a closed-door match between Perth Glory and Iraq.
The visit came as Iraq prepared for a World Cup qualifying match in Australia. The West Australian described Muhana as an Iraqi Football Association representative who was in Perth to assess arrangements for the national team’s stay and to help with preparations for the proposed friendly.
Player coordination was another part of his work with the Iraqi federation. Football Australia identified Muhana as the Iraqi FA’s representative in Australia when reporting on midfielder Ali Abbas and his involvement with the Iraqi national team. Muhana confirmed details concerning Abbas’s selection for Iraq.
Muhana later took on a more direct administrative position with the national team. According to a letter issued by the Iraqi Football Association, he served as Iraq’s national team manager from October 2021 until July 2022. The document states that his duties included football operations and coordination with FIFA and the AFC.
His name also appears in AFC records from the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He was listed among Iraq’s team officials as a logistics officer. This period included a series of international matches in which the team had to deal with travel, player availability and other organisational matters alongside its sporting preparations.
In January 2022, the Iranian publication IranWire reported on Iraq’s preparations for a World Cup qualifying match and identified Muhana as the team’s manager. The report also quoted him regarding COVID-19 cases affecting members of the Iraqi squad.
These roles show a career that has largely been connected with the organisational side of international football. Rather than being part of the coaching staff responsible for tactics and training, Muhana’s work has involved the practical administration surrounding the national team, including logistics, player coordination, facilities and communication with football organisations.
His involvement has also extended beyond individual matches. The Iraqi Football Association later appointed him as an administrative adviser to its president, Younis Mahmoud, with the appointment taking effect in May 2026. The association’s administrative order records the appointment for a one-year period.
Muhana’s career with Iraqi football therefore covers several stages of national-team administration, from logistics and coordination connected with international tournaments to his period as national team manager and later work within the association’s administration. His activities in Australia also placed him between the Iraqi federation and football organisations in the country, particularly during periods when Iraq was preparing for international fixtures there.
