On August 23, 2009 at 1pm local time, Guinean striker Ismaël Bangoura arrived at the Arbil International Airport where he was received by Arbil club representative Jawdat Suliman before residing at the Arbil International Hotel, known as the Sheraton. He watched a match between Arbil and Hendren at the Franso Hariri Stadium and met with club president Dr. Abdullah Dazabi, members of the club board and the playing and coaching staff. The local media mistook the player for former Dynamo Kyiv and Guinean player Ismaël Bangoura, and was later known as Ismaël Boga to differentiate from his namesake. The 25 year-old had played for clubs in France, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. On the back of his performances for the Guinean U-23s at the 2007 African Games in Algers, he was selected by coach Robert Nouzaret to play for the national side in the 2008 CAN qualifying rounds. While in Libya, he had scored the fastest goal in the history of the Libyan league on March 25, 2009 scoring after only 9 seconds of a 2-1 victory over Al-Ahly Tripoli. The following day he took part in training and was expected to play in the Jordan Youth Championship before coach Thair Ahmed decided on whether to sign him but due to problems over a visa and his registration he was unable to play. The club received his International Transfer Card (ITC) on September 8 but the club secretary Mahmoud Aziz announced that the club would not hand the player a contract until after the AFC Cup game with Kuwait after the AFC deadline for new player registration on August 30 had passed. On August 26, two Senegalese players arrived in Arbil from Istanbul. The players were 19 year-old midfielder Mohammed Mbaye, a Senegal Under-20 international playing for a top division side in Senegal and Seni Camara, a 21 year-old midfielder who had been playing in the Turkish second division before his contract was terminated by his club. The players had been expected to play for the club at the Jordan Youth Championship but as their names were not on the delegation list they went back Turkey and returned two weeks later. On October 9, Bangoura and Seni Camara started for Arbil in a friendly with Al-Hassanin, with Bangoura netting in the 25th minute after being set-up by Mahdi Karim. In the second half, coach Thair Ahmed made eleven changes to the side bringing on Senegalese midfielder Mohammed Mbaye. Two days later, Bangoura played against Zakho, which Arbil won 3-1, setting up the last goal. On October 13, at a ceremony held at the Franso Hariri Stadium, Bangoura and Seni Camara each signed one-year contracts with the club worth $70,000 US each. The third foreigner Mbaye after failing to win a contract at Arbil, left for a trial with rivals Zakho in the province of Duhok arriving on October 21. He was joined by Palestinian libero Yousef Saeed, who had played under Zakho’s coach Abdul-Amir “Amouri” Ahmed during his time in Lebanon, and on November 6 at an official signing ceremony at the Zakho Stadium, Mbaye and Saeed became the third and fourth foreigners to sign for Iraqi clubs. Mbaye given the No.28 jersey, had signed for one year for 35 million Iraqi dinars, a club record, while Saeed, given the No.5, had signed for one year also for 15m Iraqi dinars. Duhok became the third club to try and sign foreign players when they announced that they would give a trial to Benin defender Bakayoko along with another Senegalese player named Mohammed on October 31. Both players took part in a friendly against Zakho on November 12; however, coach Basim Qasim was unimpressed with Bakayoko and he left for a trial with Zakho, where he played three matches before he was signed by the club. After coach Amouri Ahmed resigned after their opening day drubbing by champions Arbil, Yousef Saeed Meziyan left the club. The defender had already received two-thirds of his $15,000 contract, and had helped the club to promotion to the top flight playing in all five of the play-off matches held in Baghdad. Prior to the start of the Iraqi league, he stated he did not want to play matches in Baghdad and was absent from training before their first league game with Arbil. He negotiated a release from the club and the club board agreed that he would be able to leave if he repaid half of his contract. However after the resignation of Amouri Ahmed, the player cut off all ties with the club and left the country. He played only six league matches in total. On January 19, Senegalese Mbaye left the club after he had been frozen out of the first team and had not even made an appearance in the Iraqi league. His contract was terminated by mutual consent after he had received an offer from a Qatari club.
Ismaël Bangoura II (Guinea) Born: 1984 AS Douanes Dakar (SEN) 2006-2007 Club Athlétique Bizertin (TUN) 2007-2008 Al-Olympique Azzawiya (LYB) 2008 Al-Madina Tripoli (LYB) 2008-2009 Al-Shawehly Misurata (LYB) 2009 Arbil (IRQ) 2009-2010 Fallou Seni Camara (Senegal) Born: Dec 5, 1987 in Dakar ASC Jeanne d'Arc 2004-2006 Berlin Ankaraspor Kulübü 07 (GER) 2006-2007 Tennis Borussia Berlin (GER) 2007 Berlin Ankaraspor Kulübü 07 (GER) 2007-2008 Karşıyaka S.K. (TUR) 2008-2009 Arbil (IRQ) 2009-2010 Mohammed Mbaye (Senegal) Born: 1989 in Thiès Thiès FC 2007-2008 ASC Yakaar 2008-2009 Zakho (IRQ) 2009-2010 Yousef Saeed Meziyan (Palestine) Born: Jan 1, 1978 in Qasimiya Camp, South Lebanon Al-Ansar (LEB) 1999-2001 Al-Mabarra (LEB) 2001-2004 La Sagesse (LEB) 2004-2007 Al-Wahdat (JOR) 2007-2008 Al-Ahly Sidon (LEB) 2008-2009 Zakho (IRQ) 2009-2010 Soualio Bakayoko (Benin) Born: Dec 25, 1985 in Ivory Coast Olympique Marseille (FRA) 2000-2004 SR Delémont (SWI) 2004-2005 CS Louhans-Cuiseaux (FRA) 2005 FC Colombier (SWI) 2005-2006 FC Grenchen (SWI) 2006-2008 Zakho (IRQ) 2009-2010 Nicolas Amougou (Cameroon) Born: 1976 Zakho 2010 Héctor Awand (Cameroon) Born: 1983 Zakho 2010 George Tiu (Cameroon) Duhok 2010 Lionel Otto Essono (Cameroon) Born: Aug 2, 1992 FC International Lion Ngoma d'Ebolowa 2007-2010 Duhok 2010 Nasrat Zaki Al-Jamal (Lebanon) Born: July 1, 1980 in Beirut Tadamoun Sur Tyre 1999-2005 Al-Ansar 2005-2010 Duhok 2010-2011 Mohammed Baqir Mahmoud Younis (Lebanon) Born: July 7, 1984 Racing Clube de Beyrouth 2007-2008 Al-Ansar 2008-2010 Duhok 2010 Marius Constantin Vintilă (Romania) Born: January 9, 1982 in Iaşi FC Politehnica Iaşi 1999-2001 Steaua Bucureşti 2001-2002 FC UTA Arad 2002-2003 FC Politehnica Iaşi 2003-2004 CFR Cluj 2004-2005 Tiligul Tiraspol (MOL) 2005-2007 Standard Baki (AZE) 2007-2008 Dacia Chişinău (MOL) 2008-2009 FC Politehnica Iaşi 2009-2010 Zakho 2010-2011 Adrian Ilie (Romania) Born: November 26, 1981 in Iaşi FC Politehnica Iaşi 2002-2005 FCU Poli Timişoara 2005-2006 Jiul Petroşani 2006-2007 FC Politehnica Iaşi 2007-2010 Zakho 2010-2011 Ciprian Brighiu (Romania) Born: 23.09.1983/09.10.1980 in Iaşi FC Politehnica Iaşi 2001-2003 CFR Paşcani 2003 Tornio Pallo-47 (FIN) 2004-2005 Warkaus JK (FIN) 2005 Mikkeli (FIN) 2005 FC Gloria Buzău 2005-2007 CFR Moldova 2007-2008 Podgoria Cotnari 2009 AS Breazu 2009-2010 Zakho 2010-2011
Prepared and maintained by Hassanin Mubarak for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Hassanin Mubarak
(Iraqifootball@yahoo.com)
Last updated: 14 Jan 2016
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