عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Palestinians Face One of Asia's Toughest Soccer Tests to Start the 3rd Round of World Cup Qualifying

FILE -Palestinian team stand for the national anthem ahead of the Asian Cup Group C soccer match between Iran and Palestine at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Jan. 14, 2024.Aijaz Rahi - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE -Palestinian team stand for the national anthem ahead of the Asian Cup Group C soccer match between Iran and Palestine at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Jan. 14, 2024.Aijaz Rahi - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
TT
TT

Palestinians Face One of Asia's Toughest Soccer Tests to Start the 3rd Round of World Cup Qualifying

FILE -Palestinian team stand for the national anthem ahead of the Asian Cup Group C soccer match between Iran and Palestine at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Jan. 14, 2024.Aijaz Rahi - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE -Palestinian team stand for the national anthem ahead of the Asian Cup Group C soccer match between Iran and Palestine at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Jan. 14, 2024.Aijaz Rahi - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Palestinian team is closer to the World Cup than ever after reaching the third round of qualifying in Asia as one of the top 18 on the continent.
The next phase starts with one of the toughest possible soccer assignments in Asia, with the Palestinians taking on South Korea in front of 66,000 fans in Seoul on Thursday. The South Koreans have qualified for the past 10 World Cup tournaments, and were semifinalists in 2002.
The top two from each of the three groups in this Asian qualifier will claim six of the eight spots allocated to the Asian Football Confederation at the 2026 World Cup. The teams that finish third and fourth will go into a fourth round to compete for two more spots.
“Our goal is to be among the first four teams in the group, and we are capable of that,” Makram Daboub, head coach of the Palestinian team, told The Associated Press. “I'm very happy to have reached this important stage, and I am very proud of the players, and it is the result of teamwork."
Facing South Korea and English Premier League talent such as Son Heung-min is a different challenge for the team ranked No. 96 in the world.
“Son is a very excellent player, but we are playing against the Korean national team and he also has other good players, so our focus is more on the group and playing with the best teams in Asia,” Daboub said.
The other teams in Group B include Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Kuwait.
The Palestinians spent time in Malaysia preparing for their opening match and will return to Kuala Lumpur for next week's game against Jordan.
Daboub's squad is familiar with playing on the road.
The Palestinian team progressed through the second round of continental qualifying for the first time in its history in June but, because of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, staged its “home” games in nearby Kuwait and Qatar.
Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza in response to an Oct. 7 Hamas attack into southern Israel in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 people were abducted.
The war is now in its 11th month and has killed more than 40,000 people, according to Gaza health officials.
“The situation is getting more difficult in all aspects,” Daboub said. “What worries me most is, in addition to the psychological aspect as a result of the situation, there is also the physical condition of the players, because most of them are without clubs.”
The game in Seoul is the first for Hong Myung-bo in his second spell as head coach of the South Korean team.
“I think the match is important for the national team, not for me personally,” Hong, who resigned after the 2014 tournament in Brazil, said. “This is World Cup qualification.”
The toughest qualifying group in Asia is Group C, which contains Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
Japan, which opens at home against China, has 20 Europe-based players on its roster and is Asia’s highest-ranked team at No. 18.
Australia and Saudi Arabia are each aiming for their seventh World Cup appearance.
“We need to focus on our job, get that job done, because it’s important. Phase two is over and phase three is beginning,” Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said ahead of Australia's opening game against Bahrain. “Everyone starts on zero points, zero goals for and against, and it all starts from now.”
In Group A, Iran is expected to qualify for a fourth successive World Cup and 2022 host Qatar is aiming to advance through qualifying for the first time. Qatar opens against United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan hosts North Korea.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Palestinian Paralympic Athlete Sees Himself as a Voice for His People

Palestinian Paralympic athlete Fadi Aldeeb in action during the Men's Shot Put - F55 Final in the Para-athletics of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in Saint Denis, France, 30 August 2024. (EPA)
Palestinian Paralympic athlete Fadi Aldeeb in action during the Men's Shot Put - F55 Final in the Para-athletics of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in Saint Denis, France, 30 August 2024. (EPA)
TT
TT

Palestinian Paralympic Athlete Sees Himself as a Voice for His People

Palestinian Paralympic athlete Fadi Aldeeb in action during the Men's Shot Put - F55 Final in the Para-athletics of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in Saint Denis, France, 30 August 2024. (EPA)
Palestinian Paralympic athlete Fadi Aldeeb in action during the Men's Shot Put - F55 Final in the Para-athletics of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in Saint Denis, France, 30 August 2024. (EPA)

Nine months ago, Fadi Aldeeb missed several calls from his brother. The next day, he found out that he had been killed in an Israeli attack on his home.

Aldeeb, the only Palestinian athlete at the Paris Paralympics, left the Gaza Strip a decade ago for a wheelchair basketball career that took him to Türkiye and Greece before France.

"On December 6, I had a French league game and when I was finished I found my brother had called me many times... I tried to call back but there was no connection," Aldeeb, who took part in the Paralympics shot put, told Reuters.

"The 7th of December at night I received (the news) that 'Okay, your brother was killed in an attack on our building'," said Aldeeb, adding that he often wonders what his brother's last message was.

In Paris, Aldeeb is feeling the pressure of being what he says is the voice of his people at the Paralympics.

"It's too many feelings, too much responsibility, because I'm not speaking about myself, I'm not playing for myself. I'm here for 11 million, for all who say I'm a Palestinian, for all who talk about humanity, and to talk about the freedom of Palestine," he said.

"When we are raising the flag here in Paris, we are (showing we are) still alive, we still we need our human rights, we still need our freedom," he said.

The Palestine Olympic Committee was recognized three decades ago by the International Olympic Committee. Gaza has a population of about 2.3 million people, and millions more Palestinians live elsewhere.

OTHER ATHLETES' SUPPORT

Aldeeb, 40, said he became paraplegic after being shot in the back by an Israeli soldier in 2001 during the second Intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation.

He raises his voice when talking about life in Gaza, where the Health Ministry says over 40,000 people have been killed since Israel began an offensive against the armed group Hamas that led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year.

About 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage in the attack, according to Israeli tallies.

Aldeeb, who will resume playing wheelchair basketball in the Paris suburb of Genevilliers after the Paralympics, sees Israel's military as a "killing machine".

"There is no difference (for Israel's military) between athletes, disabled or non-disabled, children or women, big or small homes, hospitals, hotels, universities or school," he said.

Israel says its offensive is aimed against Hamas, not civilians. It accuses Hamas fighters of using public buildings such as hospitals to hide in, putting civilians at risk, and says it takes great precautions to limit harm to civilians.

Aldeeb made clear he felt uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli athletes in Paris, which held a ceremony before the Games to pay tribute to Israeli Olympic team members killed by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

But welcoming support he had received from other competitors, he said: "I'm not feeling that I'm alone or feeling like I'm alone, these people really, it's amazing and incredible, they give me a feeling of humanity."

A far-left lawmaker said before the Olympics, also held in Paris this summer, that Israel's delegation was not welcome and called for protests against its participation. France said after his remark that Israeli athletes would have 24-hour protection.

The Olympic charter states that competitors at the Olympic Games should enjoy freedom of expression but that no "political propaganda" is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas. Aldeeb was speaking outside the Olympic village.