While Iraq remains in the grip of conflict, the nation's football team are far away from home, in Greece, battling for a historic medal. Coach Adnan Hamd's men may be preparing for their Olympic campaign in a beautiful hotel on the beach in Patras, but their thoughts are very much with their families in Baghdad.

"Of course the players are worried about their families," the coach told FIFA.com. "The situation in Iraq is very serious, and the country has a lot of problems."

For Hamd and his coaching staff, the main objective is to keep the players' heads as clear as possible and prepare them mentally for the not inconsiderable challenges that lie ahead. Iraq have been drawn alongside Costa Rica, Morocco and Portugal in Group D; a tall order for Hamd's team, but one that does not faze the coach. "It is a tough group, but we will try to compete. We may have a chance against Costa Rica and Morocco," he says.

Tight schedule

Compared with the other teams, Iraq have had a busy schedule and have barely stood still over the last year. Last month, the same bunch of players were contesting the Asian Cup in China, where they managed to reach the quarter-finals before being halted by hosts China.

"We have had a lot of games. After the Olympics, we will start our qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup," explained Hamd, whose team have had just twelve days to prepare for their forthcoming challenge. "We have not had much time to prepare for the Olympic Games. We had a couple of days at home in Baghdad and now we are here preparing for the Olympics. It was good to be at home with our families. That helped all of us a lot," said Hamd of the brief stopover en route from Beijing to Athens.

Even if Iraq's schedule resembles something of a footballing marathon, Hamd regards the amount of games as positive. "We have many young players in the squad. It is good for them to play a lot of competitive games." 

Cosy atmosphere

During the interview at the team hotel, the Argentinian team are in an adjacent room, playing games and going through warm-up exercises. Hamd's gaze repeatedly wanders to the South Americans, observing their training methods. The Iraqi coach is pleased that many of the teams are staying in the same hotel, which is almost a "mini-Olympic Village", with seven teams under one roof.  Everybody mixes well and respects each other, whether the players are around the pool, in the foyer or the vast hotel grounds.

"I think the mood will probably be somewhat different in the Olympic Village from here in Patras. But even here, you can already feel the spirit of the Olympic Games."

Hamd's thoughts then turn to his side's opening encounter. Iraq's first opponents are Portugal, a team blessed with stars such as EURO 2004 eye-catcher Cristiano Ronaldo. "Portugal will be a difficult game, but I think my players have a lot more confidence after the Asian Cup," says Hamd. "The first game is very important for us. We need a difficult game to start with."

And the Iraqi coach is optimistic that his team can progress in the tournament: "We have the same team that played in the Asia Cup, with one or two slight changes. We are hoping to reach the second round and I think we can do that."