“With online voting, I supported Zakho Sports Club fans so that they can win the title of first best fans at the world level,” President Barzani said in a statement, calling on “all Kurdistanis, wherever they are” to vote and help them secure the global title.
Fans can vote for their first-, second-, and third-place choices. Voting opened Thursday and runs until December 3, according to FIFA.
The Kurdistan Region President thanked FIFA “for designating Zakho club fans as one of the three candidates.”
FIFA announced in early November that Zakho SC had been named one of the world’s top three fanbases and a finalist for the 2025 Fan Award.
The nomination follows a May Iraq Premier League match during which Zakho supporters threw thousands of stuffed teddy bears onto the pitch in a show of solidarity with children battling illness.
Zakho SC thanked President Barzani in a statement, calling his support a “tremendous stance.”
Founded in 1987, Zakho SC is based in the Kurdistan Region’s northern city of Zakho in Duhok province.
The Consulate General of the Netherlands in Erbil also expressed support for the team.
🥳⚽ The Netherlands' Consulate General supports Zakho SC for the FIFA Fan Award. 🥳⚽
Support your team here: https://t.co/0tk1Pdgp79 pic.twitter.com/KNyTqIrZbM