Introduction
Yaser Safa Qasim Al-Qadefaje (Arabic: ياسر قاسم; born 10 May 1991) is an Iraqi footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swindon Town in the English League One and the Iraqi National Football Team.
Born in Karrada, Kasim started his career playing football on the hot tarmac of Baghdad. He moved with his family from Iraq to England at the age of six, and was part of the youth setup at Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur prior to becoming a professional footballer. His first professional contract came with Brighton & Hove Albion at the age of 18, but he did not impress and was sent on loan to non-league sides Luton Town and Macclesfield Town. He was released from Brighton in 2013 and signed for Swindon Town.
Club career
Early career
His career in England started in the youth teams at Premier League side Fulham. A coach at one of the sport centres that Kasim frequented took him to Fulham and he joined the youth setup there but left after a few months and switched to North London club Tottenham Hotspur.
He joined the youth setup at spurs in 2007 and remained until his 18th birthday with the club. He departed the club in the summer of 2010 after turning down a pro contract, claiming that he did not feel the club had the player's best interest in mind. He Joined Brighton and Hove Albion shortly after.
Brighton & Hove Albion
He joined Brighton & Hove Albion in October 2010, signing a short-term contract until January 2011. On 20 November, Kasim was an unused substitute during the 2–2 draw against Bristol Rovers and during January 2011 it was revealed that he had signed a new short-term contract until 30 June. On 7 May 2011, Kasim made his debut for Brighton starting against Notts County.
On 21 May 2013, Kasim was released by Brighton.
On 12 July 2012, Kasim joined Conference Premier side Luton Town on a six-month loan deal. He played as a defensive midfielder through Luton's pre-season games, establishing himself as a first-team regular, and debuted for the club on 11 August in a 2–2 draw with Gateshead.
On 8 February 2013, Kasim joined Conference Premier side Macclesfield Town on an initial one-month loan.
Swindon Town
Yaser signed a three-year deal with Swindon Town after a trial with the club. Despite being in the club for a few months Yaser was subject to a deadline day bid from an unknown championship side on deadline day that was rejected, In his first season with the club, Yaser played 45 times for the club, forming a midfield partnership with Australian Massimo Luongo. Manager Mark Cooper made him an instrumental part of the team, the team also reached the final of the Southern section of the JPT but lost on penalties to Peterborough United. Yaser converted his penalty. Yaser scored his first goal for the club on 21 December 2013. Scoring a goal in the 77th minute Vs Coventry City. He scored his second goal in a 2-1 win over Peterborough United. In October 2013, Yaser signed a contract extension keeping him at the club till 2016. Yaser received a one match suspension for accumulation of Yellow cards, he missed a league fixture Vs Port Vale. The 2013/14 season ended with Swindon missing out on a place in the promotion play-off as they finished 8th overall.
In his second season with Swindon, Yaser played 41 games, scoring three goals in all competitions.His first goal came against Crewe Alexandra in League One, his second came against Chesterfield in the same competition, while the last was against former club Brighton & Hove Albion in the league up. Swindon finished 4th in league one, which meant they qualified to the championship play-offs. They reached the final but lost to Preston North End, narrowly missing out on promotion.Yaser missed some matches during January due to being called up for Iraq in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, in which Iraq finished 4th in.
In his third season in the club, Yaser was an established member of the squad and became the unofficial third captain for the club. He played 29 games, scoring once. A league goal Vs Chesterfield in a 1-0 win. Swindown finished in a disappointing 15th position.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2010–11 | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Luton Town (loan) | 2012–13 | Conference Premier | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Macclesfield Town (loan) | 2012–13 | Conference Premier | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Swindon Town | 2013–14 | League One | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | League One | 35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 2015–16 | League One | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | League One | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| Total | 119 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 139 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 136 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 157 | 8 | ||
International
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 November 2014 | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |  Oman |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations |
| 2. | 12 January 2015 | Lang Park, Brisbane |  Jordan |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 3. | 31 March 2015 | Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium, Sharjah |  DR Congo |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Honours
International
- 2015 AFC Asian Cup fourth-place.
Individual
- Sky Bet Football League Team of the Week (08/08/14 – 10/08/14) - with Swindon Town F.C.
- Selected among 8 best midfielders in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
- Iraq's best professional football player for the year 2015.