Shaker has enjoyed a successful 3 months with Iraq's national team Iraq’s Football Federation (IFF) has confirmed caretaker coach Hakeem Shaker has been demoted to manage youth team affairs, paving the way for the selection of a new senior team head coach .Shaker returns to the youth set-up to prepare the team for June's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.
The 50-year old enjoyed a relatively successful three-month stint with the senior squad, guiding them to second-place at the Gulf Cup in Bahrain last month.
Deputy Head of Iraqi Football Federation, Abdel-Khalek Masoud thanked Shaker for his efforts, and revealed that the Federation would adopt a special training programme to boost the youth team's preparations for the World Cup.
Shaker took charge of Iraq's national team after the resignation of Brazilian coach Zico last November. His decision to call-up 15 young players from the youth squad to the senior team means the players cannot feature for Iraq in Turkey.
Masoud confirmed that IFF is currently browsing through CVs of several top international coaches who are interested in the head coach role.