Iraq coach praises players for winning Asian Cup

By Julian Linden

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Jorvan Vieira said he always knew there was something special about the Iraqi team he had been asked to coach when he first met them at a training camp in Jordan.

The Brazilian had been charged with one of the most difficult challenges any coach had ever taken on: to mould a team of Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish players into a championship winning unit in the space of two months.

Vieira had his initial doubts when only a handful of players turned up to the first training session but soon discovered a rare quality about his squad.

"We all know the problems in Iraq but I have learnt that they are a fantastic people. They have an extraordinary power," he told a news conference after their 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Sunday's final.

"We did not have much time so we had to work quickly. We sometimes fought, we sometimes argued, but we got the work done.

"It was very difficult but I am very proud of these boys."

Vieira, who confirmed he was not seeking an extension to his two month contract after the final, knew his players had all been touched by the war and it wasn't long until he too was affected.

"Our team physio, he was a good man. He was killed in a bomb blast last month. He left behind a wife and four kids," Vieira said.