Dario Naamo, the right-back for Dundee United, will not be part of Iraq’s World Cup squad, despite having switched his allegiance from Finland just a month ago.
The 21-year-old, who joined United from St. Pölten last summer, had initially been selected for head coach Graham Arnold’s 35-player provisional squad during their training camp in Spain.
However, Naamo, who has played 21 matches for United but has only started nine, did not feature in Friday’s 1-0 friendly victory over Andorra and has ultimately been left out of the final 26-man squad.
Naamo was born to a Finnish mother and a Kurdish father, growing up in the Espoo area, where he developed through the youth ranks at the local club Honka.
He represented Finland at youth levels up to under-21s, but FIFA approved his switch of allegiance.
Now, Iraq is set to face Spain in a friendly on Friday before heading to the United States for matches against Norway, France, and Senegal in Group I.