Palestine determined to give their best at Asian Cup

As the brutal Israeli assault continues to pound Gaza, the Palestine football team is struggling to focus on the upcoming Asian Cup, which will kick off in Qatar from January 12. Some players have lost loved ones in relentless bombardment of the besieged territory, but the players are determined to give something to smile about for their helpless compatriots back home.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, including stadiums, in air and artillery strikes and a ground offensive, and football fields have been used as makeshift graves for some of the dead as many cemeteries are either full or inaccessible.
The Palestine squad, which arrived in Doha on Tuesday for the Asian continental showpiece, were forced to train in Algeria and Saudi Arabia. But their hearts are with their people in Gaza even as they motivated themselves to leave a mark and progress far in the competition. “Everyone is glued to the news, before and after training, be it on the bus or at the hotel,” the team’s coach Makram Daboub told AFP. The players have “a constant feeling of anxiety for their families”, Daboub, a former Tunisia coach and player, added.
Football matches in the Gaza Strip and Israeli-occupied West Bank have been suspended. “We have physical, technical and tactical problems due to the suspension of the tournament...as well as psychological issues,” said Daboub. “They are suffering,” he said.
Many players are struggling, particularly those like Mahmoud Wadi and Mohamed Saleh who have families trapped in Gaza where their homes have been destroyed, said Daboub. Others have relatives who have had to flee relentless Israeli bombardment in the north of the territory and seek safety in the south, “where conditions are difficult”, he added.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 22,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry. Daboub said the team hopes to “qualify for the latter stages of the Asian Cup and show the honourable face of Palestinian football”.
Most importantly, the coach said “raising the Palestinian flag” in international arenas “affirms Palestinian identity and shows that in Palestine people deserve freedom and a better life”.
This is Palestine’s third consecutive appearance at the Asian Cup, after having qualified for the first time in 2015. The Lions of Canaan are in Group C along with three-time champions Iran, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Hong Kong. And they will have the toughest opening encounter they could have imagined as they take on Asia’s second best team Iran on January 14 at the Education City Stadium.
The team, which is led by forward Mahmoud Wadi, who plays for Egyptian side Arab Contractors, will meet the UAE at the Al Janoub Stadium on January 18 before they play their final group fixture against Hong Kong at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on January 23.
After arriving in Qatar, Goalkeeper Rami Hamadi said the whole team wants to send a ‘strong message’ to people back home in Gaza. “The situation is not easy. But I want to tell our people there that our hearts will be with you on the field. We will strive to give even if it is a very simple joy to our people in Gaza. Insha Allah, we will be able to deliver a strong message,” Hamadi said on Tuesday. “I want to thank people in Qatar for their love and support they have always given us,” he added.
Without a victory in the tournament in their previous two outings, Palestine players are hoping to make it to the knockout stage for the first time. “There were no sports activities in the past three months. We had camps in Algeria and Saudi Arabia. Definitely, the situation has been very difficult for us but we are looking forward to our best Asian Cup. We want to deliver the message on behalf of all Palestinians that we have been waiting for,” said Palestine defender Musab al-Battat.
The team is expected to receive an outpouring of support from fans at the Asian Cup, and al-Battat thanked people of Qatar for always standing for the Palestine cause. “We are expecting great support in Qatar. We witnessed this in the World Cup where Palestine were not even competing. It was a great honour for us. I want to thank the people of Qatar for always supporting us and I want to thank Qatar for hosting this tournament,” said al-Battat.
Defender Mohamed Saleh, who has his family trapped in Gaza, said: “We will give everything we have and everything we are capable of for the sake of our martyrs, for the sake of our people, and for the sake of the Palestinian cause, and our voice, Insha Allah, will be heard and our performance on the field.”
squad
Goalkeepers: Rami Hamadeh, Naeem Abu Akar, and Baraa Kharoub.
Defenders: Amr Kaddoura, Musab al-Battat, Moussa Fairawi, Mohamed Khalil, Samer El-Gendy, Camilo Saldana, Michel Milan, Mohamed Saleh, and Yasser Hamad.
Midfielders: Al-Mahdi Issa, Amid Mahajna, Ataa Jaber, Adi Kharoub, Muhammad Bassem, Samer al-Zubaidi, Tamer Siam, and Mahmoud Abu Wardeh.
Forwards: Islam al-Batran, Alaeddin Hussein, Mahmoud Wadi, Shihab al-Qanbar, Zaid al-Qanbar, and Uday al-Dabbagh.