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Franso Hariri Stadium
Franso Hariri Stadium (Kurdish: یاریگای فرانسۆ ھەریری, Yarîgay Franso Herîrî; Arabic: ملعب فرانسوا حريري) is a multi-purpose stadium in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is currently used mostly for football matches by Erbil SC who plays in the Iraqi Premier League. The stadium also has facilities for athletics. The stadium has a capacity of 25,000.[1] It was built on an old airfield in 1956 and was redeveloped in 1992. The stadium was home to the old Brusk club (renamed Al-Shurta Erbil) and was named Erbil Stadium until 2001. It was renamed the Martyr Franso Hariri Stadium in honor of the assassinated Christian governor Franso Hariri,[2] who supported efforts to renovate the stadium. In July 2009 Franso Hariri Stadium became Iraq national football team's home venue after the green-light from AFC to host the Iraqi national and clubs teams in Erbil.[3] Franso Harriri hosted the Arab club championship match between Al-Naft and Tunisian side.[4] On 23 February 2022, an all-star line-up of international football legends including Brazil's Roberto Carlos and Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert participated in a historic exhibition match at Franso Hariri stadium against Iraqi national team stars who won the 2007 AFC Asian Cup including Noor Sabri, Mahdi Karim and Ahmed Mnajed.[5][6] Role in removing the FIFA ban on Iraq hosting football matchesDue to the relatively stability of the region, Iraqi authorities has long used the stadium in order to attempt to remove the ban imposed on Iraq by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation on hosting matches. The ban was imposed on Iraq on the onset of the 2003 Iraq War, and remains in place in one way or another till today, where FIFA allows Iraq to only host matches in select stadiums, including the Franso Hariri stadium. In July 2009 Franso Hariri Stadium was given the green light to host matches in the AFC Cup, making it the first time a competitive match was allowed to be hosted on Iraqi soil since 2003.[7] On 23 July 2011, Iraq played a FIFA World Cup qualifier on home ground for the first time since 2001, defeating Yemen 2–0 at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil. However, FIFA re-imposed the ban on 23 September 2011 due a breach of safety regulations in the qualifying match with Jordan, in which the stadium was left with without power for over 20 minutes and fans were able to access the pitch.[8] The ban was briefly lifted in 2015, but was re-imposed following various security incidents involving football matches on a domestic level. The ban was partially lifted in 2018, and Franso Harriri hosted the Arab club championship match between Al-Naft and Tunisian side.[9] Notable Events
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