Baghdad, Jun 5 (IANS): The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) solidified a partnership with the Spanish National Professional Football League (La Liga), marking a significant step forward for the nation's football with the launch of a professional league in Iraq.

The contracts, signed under the auspices of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, were inked by IFA president Adnan Dirjal and Javier Tebas, president of La Liga. The ceremony took place at the prime minister's headquarters in the central Baghdad Green Zone, reports Xinhua.

In a statement, al-Sudani's media office reported the prime minister commending the efforts of the Iraqi Football Association in the development of the nation's football. Al-Sudani stressed the necessity for continued professionalism in all aspects of Iraqi sports, not solely football.

Tebas expressed appreciation for the collaboration with the Iraqi Football Association, emphasizing that considerable efforts were invested to ensure the success of the project. He described it as "more than just football", seeing it as a broad-scale initiative to reinvigorate Iraqi sports, according to the statement.

Dirjal provided clarity during the ceremony, explaining that the first contract would entail La Liga assigning an executive director to establish and operate the Iraqi Professional League. This arrangement would also include the training of an Iraqi team to manage the committees tasked with organizing the league's competition.

Furthermore, the second contract outlined that the Spanish league would assist in the development of Iraqi football talents. It would also facilitate training and development courses for personnel in all talent centers, encompassing coaches and administrators, added the statement.