Kareem flies in to boost Al Jazira's ACL bid

Al Jazira have signed the Iraq international Mohammed Ali Kareem as their Asian player for the Asian Champions League, under the new 3+1 rule. Clubs are allowed to sign up to four foreign players including an Asian in the continental championship from this year. And the defender Kareem, 23, joins the Brazilian trio Rafael Sobis, Fernando Baiano and Marcio Rozario in the competition that starts next month. Jazira are in group C and face the Qatar club Umm-Salal in the opening game in the home and away format at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on March 11. Esteghlal of Iran and the Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad are the other two teams. Kareem represented his country in the 2006 Doha Asian Games and the Beijing Olympics two years later. He is also involved in Iraq's 2010 World Cup qualifying matches. He started with the Iraq Police in 2004 and three years later moved to the Jordanian club Al Jazira where he spent one season before joining the Iraq Air Force last year. apassela@thenational.ae