Palestinians erupted in spontaneous jubilation yesterday as their state’s national football team scored a huge victory winning the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup final in the Maldives, qualifying them for Asia Cup 2015, Asia’s biggest football tournament, to be hosted next year in Australia.
The win followed 5 matches in which Palestine’s team played a “clean sheet,” staving off the competition without conceding a single goal during the tournament:
This is the first time Palestine’s national team has qualified for a major international tournament since the establishment of the Palestine Football Federation in 1928, so the victory holds huge significance for Palestine and for Palestinians around the world.
On Thursday the New York Times quoted the team’s coach Jamal Mahmoud:
“All the people in Palestine will watch and will be happy if we win…the world will see the Palestinian people. This is very important.”
In victory Mahmoud told The National “advancing to the continental championship would be a platform for the country“:
“This is very important to all Palestine. We want to send a message to the world that we want sports and peace in Palestine,” Mahmoud said. “We can do more things if we have peace in Palestine. It is very important for us to go to the Asian Cup.”
Palestine’s historic qualification was sealed by defeating the Philippines 1-0 after Ashraf Al Fawaghra’s scored a goal in what commentators called a “sublime” “stunning ” free-kick just a minute before the hour mark. Palestine’s champion team also swept the individual awards following the tournament as midfielder Murad Said was named Most Valuable Player and Al Fawaghra took away the top scorer accolade.
Mahmoud hailed the achievement as historic and dedicated the victory to Jibril Al-Rajoub, Chairman of the Palestine Football Association. Rajoub told AFP:
“This is the best day ever in Palestine football history and it comes at a great time, as we fight to get the Palestine sports rights with FIFA and IOC”.
On behalf of Palestine, Rajoub will be seeking sanctions against Israel when FIFA’s 64th Congress meets in San Paulo, Brazil on June 9-10. Palestinian superstar Mohammed Assaf is performing at the congress’ opening ceremony on June 10th.
A reader writes in:
The stars aligned for Palestine. First, the Pope spontaneously stopped his Popemobile and prayed at the Israeli Apartheid wall, giving the Palestinians a decisive PR victory that’s loaded with political symbolism. Then several days later, a second euphoria for Palestine erupted when the Palestinian Soccer team won….
This was a great week for Palestine.
Palestine players express their joy of winning #ACC2014 at post match press conference after 1-0 win over Philippines pic.twitter.com/5bL83LTMSI
— AFC 60 minutes (@AFC60minutes) May 31, 2014
I have to add my thanks to you Annie for being on top of this story, as I’m sure there are sources who helped you, too.
I hope this evolving story line is being kept up, it’s a great narrative as football(real football) is the world’s most popular sport by far.
I don’t get sports nationalism, but I guess its preferable to pride in stealing someone’s country:
“Growing up at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Long Island, I have fond memories of Jerusalem Day. We celebrated every year with school-wide assemblies and dances, singing “Sisu et Yerushalayim” (Rejoice in Jerusalem) and “Jerusalem of Gold” with pride. Even in high school, I never knew the political significance of the day or imagined that my joy might be at someone else’s expense. Today, I know better.
[Death to Arabs], ‘Go to Hell, Leftist’ and Other Jerusalem Day Slogans
http://m.forward.com/blogs/forward-thinking/199123/go-to-hell-leftist-and-other-jerusalem-day-s/
Am I the only one who is far from jubilant? While I am happy for the team for their achievement, all these symbols of a state – flag, “authority”, Olympic team, football team, ambassadors, etc. only serve to lock Palestinians into the dead-end two state paradigm. Israel doesn’t mind Palestinians having these tokens as long as on the ground the occupation entrenches, the settlements expand and the Palestinian “state” shrinks to a few disconnected enclaves. Israel in fact would not mind that in the public discourse the “conflict” is framed in terms of an “intractable border dispute” between two states, a-la India-Pakistan.
The two state paradigm is that carrot dangling in front of the Palestinians which prevents them from reaching to the achilles heel of Israel, which is the demand for equal rights.
Annie, thanks for reporting on this amazing win by the Palestinian team, especially considering all of the obstacles they face, including two players shot in the feet by Israel soldiers on their way home from practice and never able to play again and Mahmoud Sarsak Palestinian star who was detained at the border on his way to a national match and imprisoned 3 years without charges, even though he was carrying Israeli issued travel documents. There’s no reason, no justification, nothing to excuse this cruel, common, State sanctioned criminal behavior towards Palestinians, athletes or not. Imagine the outcry and condemnation by the US government if it was Israeli athletes being maimed, detained and tortured.
It’s wonderful to see all of Palestine celebrate this tremendous victory. It reminds me of the jubilation when Mohammad Assaf won Arab idol.
congratulations for a match well played. I only saw part of the last game with the Philippines and it was pretty exciting near the end.