Sheffield Wednesday loanee secures international call-up as League One clash in danger of postponement
On-loan Sheffield Wednesday striker Ali Al-Hamadi has been selected to represent Iraq over the upcoming international break.
Sheffield Wednesday striker Ali Al-Hamadi has been included in the Iraq squad ahead of their upcoming Gulf Cup campaign.
The striker, who started each of Iraq’s three matches at the World Cup during the summer, has been included in head coach Graham Arnold’s 26-man squad ahead of their group-stage clashes with Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The Gulf Cup, which has been won by Iraq on four occasions, will feature eight nations, which have been split into two equal groups of four. Iraq face Oman in the tournament’s opening game on Wednesday, September 23.
Kicking off on September 23, the tournament will run until Tuesday, October 6. Wednesday are scheduled to play on the same evening as the final, taking on Sunderland’s Under-21s in their second EFL Trophy group-stage match at Hillsborough.
Al-Hamadi, who has featured in each of Wednesday’s last four League One matches as a substitute, is the third member of Henrik Pedersen’s squad to be called up for international duty this week, following in the footsteps of Sean Fusire and Kieran Morrison after they were included in the Zimbabwe and Northern Ireland squads, respectively.
It was announced on Monday that the Owls’ trip to Stevenage, scheduled for Saturday, September 26, had been postponed due to international call-ups at the Stevenage end. Clubs are allowed to request that matches be postponed if three or more players are selected for international duty.
However, it should be noted that Fusire’s call-up does not count towards the tally of three or more call-ups required to enact a postponement, given that he has not featured in the requisite amount of League One football this season. His only appearance for Wednesday so far this season was against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup first round..
With Al-Hamadi having been selected by Iraq, his and Morrison’s call-ups effectively leave Wednesday one call-up away from being able to request that their clash with Cambridge United at Hillsborough, scheduled for Saturday, October 3, be postponed.
A statement released by the Owls earlier this week, addressing the prospect of the clash with Neil Harris’ side being called off, said that ‘supporters will be informed at the earliest possible opportunity’.
Yan Valery, Gabriel Otegbayo, Jamal Lowe and Harry Gray are among the Wednesday players who could realistically still be called up for international duty.