Palestine Football Team win
Asia Cup Challenge
Palestine’s football team won the Asia Challenge Cup on Friday
in a match against the Philippines, securing its place in the
AFC Asian Cup that will be held next year in Australia.
The match, held in the Maldives, ended 1-0.
It is the first victory in an international soccer contest for
the Palestinians since the establishment of the Palestine
Football Federation in 1928, sport officials said.
“Congratulations to our people, Palestine today is proud of
such an historical achievement,” said Jibril Al-Rajoub,
chairman of the Palestine Football Association, who watched
the match among hundreds of fans in the West Bank city of
Ramallah.
In Gaza City, thousands watched the match on large screens on
the sandy beach, beating drums. Fireworks lit up the sky as
player Ashraf Al Fawaghra scored the winning goal for
Palestine with a free kick in the second half.
“It is not the World Cup, but our happiness feels like we won
the World Cup,” said Adel Waleed, a 45-year-old teacher who
watched the game with his four children.
The Palestinians say that Israel, which controls coming and
going from Gaza and the West Bank, has been restricting the
movement of Palestinian athletes and have urged FIFA sanction
the Jewish state unless it loosened the restrictions.
Israel cites security concerns for restricting movement
between Gaza and the West Bank.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who visited Israel and the
Palestinian Territories this week, said he did not see a
reason for sanctioning Israel.
Blatter said he would find a solution to Palestinian demands,
without elaborating.
The FIFA Congress will convene in Sao Paolo in Brazil next
month.
Some said the victory inspired a feeling of unity among
Palestinians, divided by a deep political rift between Hamas
and the West Bank-based Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas. The two sides have been negotiating formation of a
unity government in the past few weeks, which actualized today
with the swearing in of a unity government in Ramallah.
“This is the first-ever championship win in Palestinian
history and I hope it boosts unity and reconciliation
efforts,” said Abdel-Salam Haniyeh, a member of
Palestinian Higher Council for Youth and Sport.
the
Both President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas issued statements
praising the victory in the Maldives.
(Agencies)