tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75848049715269291502024-03-14T02:23:54.301+08:00Football PalestineBassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comBlogger984125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-22971413936296379412020-06-17T22:02:00.000+08:002020-06-17T22:02:03.397+08:00Palestinians Abroad: Awad scores in Superettan opener, continues scintilating form<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After a delayed start to the 2020 Swedish season, Ahmed Awad wasted no time in making an impactful debut for his new club, Vasteras SK. The 28 year old opened the scoring against AFC Eskiltuna after 36 minutes receiving the ball on the left wing before shimmying his marker and slotting home [<a href="https://www.svt.se/sport/fotboll/awad-fixade-tre-poang-till-vsk-med-vackert-mal">video here</a>]. <br />
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Awad hit the ground running with Vasteras before the postponement- scoring three times and assisting twice in the Svenska Cupen as Vasteras just narrowly missed out on a quarterfinal berth.<br />
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As it stands, Awad is joint top scorer in the competition thanks to his 2019 goal haul with Dalkurd. <br />
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Dating back to the tail end of last season, Awad has scored 13 goals and tallied two assists in 13 starts in league and cup competitions.<br />
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Despite consistently scoring and dishing out assists in Sweden's top two tiers Awad has not played for the national team in over two years and has only amassed four subsitute appearances since debuting in March 2016. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-56482924375989716452020-06-11T18:25:00.002+08:002020-06-11T18:26:15.848+08:00Amr Kaddoura sets his sights on a return from injury, promotion with Landskronna, and the national team <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In 2019, Amr Kaddoura had the best season of his career and was statistically speaking one of the best goalkeepers in Sweden. The numbers certainly do not lie, Kaddoura posted 13 clean sheets and conceded
an average of .75 goals a game (21 in 28) in addition to scoring a last second equalizer against IFK Värnamo in a 2-2 draw.<br />
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The three goalkeepers that were statistically better according to those
metrics were Johan Dahlin of FF Malmo, Isak Pettersson of Nörkopping,
and Oskar Linnér of AIK. All of whom have been capped by the Swedish
national team and whose teams were involved in a tight race for the
Allsvenskan title. <br />
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On the back of those performances Landskronna seemed destined for a return to the Superettan but were foiled at the final hurdle in the promotion playoffs. Kaddoura had the small consolation of being voted the best goalkeeper of the Ettan (third division) in 2019. <br />
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2020 was supposed to be the year Kaddoura broke through but instead things took a different turn.<br />
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In February he suffered an cruciate ligament tear in his knee. "A player was one-on-one against me in training as I was cutting out an
angle to block his shot. He shot and I got stuck in a weird way and twisted my knee. The
first few days it was really tough, it turned completely black. After what I had done last season, receiving the award as the
goalkeeper of the year, I really thought I would build on it and get us back to the Superettan" <br />
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Despite the injury, Landskronna kept the faith in their goalkeeper signing him to another one-year extension almost immediately after the diagnosis. Kaddoura is not expected to feature at all this season although the delayed start due to the Coronavirus pandemic might leave the door open for a late season return depending on how the goalkeeper progresses in rehab.<br />
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The show of confidence in himself and more importantly by his club was not always there. "It's great that the club believes in me as a goalkeeper, the new contract gave me the peace of mind and security." <br />
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The confidence was not always there, "In previous years I was always doubted but last season I proved what I can do when I am given the opportunity. It meant a lot to me. Things were not always good at this club there was a lot of strange decisions from the board level down. Now we're on the right track again and you can see that by the way we play on the pitch" <br />
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"We look really strong. We have maintained our defensive and safety where
we basically keep a clean sheet in every game. Now we have developed the attacking side of our game. We became like a machine in the fall last year and
it was thanks to our development of our offensive output."Landskronna BoIS will be looking to replicate their form form last autumn when the Ettan kicks off this weekend.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
National Team </h3>
Amr Kaddoura's career is still without a national team appearance despite being a part of the set up since November 2018.<br />
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His commitments with Landskronna BoIS have also meant that call ups are not a straight forward affair. Unlike the Allsvenskan, the Superettan and Ettan do not stop during the international break. Kaddoura turned down call ups to the September qualifiers against Uzbekistan and Singapore as well as the October qualifiers to help Landskronna seal a promotion playoff place.<br />
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"We were so close to the qualifying place that I wanted to join the national team, but Landskronna has given me so much and you want to give back. I also knew that I probably would not have started for the national team in those matches which made the decision a little easier" <br />
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Despite his lack of game time the shot stopper stands at the ready when the national team calls. <br />
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"There are incredible emotions in representing the national team. It is a special country that has been experienced difficulty for many years. Being able to represent Palestine and trying to do something good that produces positive vibes, I think you have to experience it to understand."<br />
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"Since I was born I've known that I am a Palestinian, I have followed what
is happening there and have strong feelings for the country. So for me
it is great to represent the national team. It's not the best team in
the world, but to be there is big for me and my family"<br />
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Kaddoura was born in Sweden but like many other Palestinian families in the country his initially fled to Lebanon where they lived in a refugee camp "My grandparents fled from Palestine to Lebanon.
There, it was tough living conditions so my parents decided to come to
Sweden. For me it is great that they chose to take the step here so me
and my siblings will have a good life, and Sweden has meant a lot to us."<br />
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The national team has given Kaddoura the opportunity to visit Palestine twice thus far. <br />
"For me it was a bit strange to get in there. There were seven meters high blocks around the city, you are trapped. The [Faisal Al-Husseini] stadium was right next to these blocks so it was like a wall right in front of us. It was disturbing but something that I think was important to experience." <br />
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Kaddoura also got a taste of the realities of the Israeli occupation on his last trip to Palestine. "We usually train at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium, but once the women's team had a match so we went to train at Majed Asaad, instead. At the end of training, we were doing some shooting drills, and suddenly I heard a grenade exploding and then a few shots. Me, Mahmoud Eid, and Nazmi Albadawi looked at each other and wondered what happened. After the training, we asked those who live in Palestine what was going on. "Oh, It , there are certainly some youths and soldiers who are fucking with each other," That's when I realized how absolutely messed up the situation was" <br />
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Despite that, Amr Kaddoura is eagerly anticipating a return to the national team when he is injury-free again.<br />
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"In two years we have the Asian Cup and I am aiming to join that squad. I talk to the team captain (Abdelatif Bahdari) every now and then and he pushes me, it feels good that he cares. But now my focus is to come back, then we take it from there."</div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-69908022510820997162020-06-03T19:23:00.001+08:002020-06-04T11:58:44.817+08:00West Bank Premier League: A failed business model with a talent retention problem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The news cycle over the last ten days has been completely dominated by Abdallah Jaber's decision to leave the WBPL and <a href="https://www.footballpalestine.com/2020/05/abdallah-jaber-signs-with-hapoel-hadera.html">join Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Hadera</a>.<br />
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Jaber's decision drew the ire of a small but vocal minority of fans with many upset that he would no longer be part of the national team set up. </div>
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For his part, the left back has reiterated his intent to continue representing Palestine. The PFA had to state that Jaber <a href="https://www.footballpalestine.com/2020/06/pfa-issues-statement-regarding-abdallah.html">had the right</a> to make the move and for its part could not publicly state their unofficial policy of not calling up professional players that play for Israeli clubs. </div>
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Palestinian players have crossed the green line several times in either direction for the better part of a decade with little fanfare and without the attention of Palestinian, Israeli, and the international press. </div>
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Consider the case of Shadi Shaban, a midfielder who played a key role in Palestine's 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign. Earlier this year he announced his intent to leave his current side Jabal Al-Mukaber, his move was met with well wishes from the fans and little interest from the media. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #8899a6; font-family: "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<div dir="rtl" lang="ar">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #8899a6; font-family: "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">شكراً شكراً شكراً على هذه الفتره الجميله , امل اني كنت شخص مريح على الجميع واني احترمت اي فرد كلمني وتعامل معي في المواسم التي لعبتها في الدوري الفلسطيني . كان فخر لي ارتداء زي المنتخب الوطني واستمتعت في كل لحظه بتمثيله ! الى اللقاء ✌️✌️ <a href="https://t.co/VfW9OlyfhF">pic.twitter.com/VfW9OlyfhF</a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #8899a6; font-family: "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">— Shadi shaban شادي شعبان (@Shadishaban1992) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shadishaban1992/status/1225001950225338368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2020</a></span></blockquote>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></span></div>
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A couple of months before deciding to leave the WBPL, Shaban voiced his displeasure at the quality of refereeing. Stating that there are unwritten rules in the league, such as "a goal not being a goal unless it hits the back of the net" and "offsides being not counted if a ball ricochets off the post or crossbar" </div>
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Shaban's destination? FC Dabburiya Osama. A fledging Liga Alef (third tier) side. There was no inquest as to why a current national team player with 23 caps and three assists since his debut in March 2016 would make such a move. </div>
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Two years earlier, Palestine's most consistent goalscorer decamped from the WBPL to join third tier side Hapoel Iksal. A scorer of six goals in nine appearances (five starts), Abu Nahyeh left because the league has underlying deficiencies that are being constantly ignored. </div>
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Nine years ago, <i><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/1.5046328">Haaretz</a> </i>wrote about an influx of players leaving the Israeli lower leagues to play in the WBPL for higher wages, in front of bigger crowds, in newly built stadiums. The players who were interviewed for the article made it seem as if the WBPL was a godsend- deliverance from the underfunded lower leagues of Israeli football</div>
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A decade after its inception, the league is in a rut and faces serious questions about its future and has lurched from crisis to crisis. </div>
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The league has had its successes. Developing many young players who have since gone on to play abroad in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. It also provided a career development option to Palestinian players who were ignored by Israeli Premier League clubs. Many of those players- Rami Hamadi, Haitham Dheeb, Abdallah Jaber and Mohammed Darweesh have become the spine of the national team. </div>
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Higher profile players have also made the jump to the West Bank Premier League in recent years. At first, the league attracted players from Liga Alef and Liga Bet (third and fourth tier) but by 2017 it was able to convince Alaa Abu Saleh- captain of Bnei Sakhnin with nearly 200 Israeli Premier League appearances to sign. </div>
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The league is able to offer its top players between $40,000 and $50,000 USD per annum. For Palestinian citizens of Israel, this amount is a fortune as they do not pay taxes on their earned income. These respectable salaries raise a question about the league's financial stability. How is it that this fledging league can provide a wage that is comparable to that paid out to some players in Europe's smaller top flight championships? </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Fiscal Crisis </h3>
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From the outset, clubs were never able to cover these massive wage bills themselves. While the league's stars are fully professional the vast majority of the league's workforce is semiprofessional and dependent on other jobs to make a living. </div>
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Life as a Palestinian footballer or manager is fraught with uncertainty. Contracts are voided in midseason which results in a merry-go-round of players every January. Unpaid wages are the norm with players going months without seeing a paycheque. </div>
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Weeks before Palestine's famous win over Uzbekistan in World Cup qualifying PFA President Jibril Rajoub was talking openly about the possibility of cancelling the league season. </div>
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The fact that the local league could be in such dire straits is confounding as the period since its inception coincided with the best period for Palestine's national teams. A period which saw unparalleled success in the form of two Asian Cup Finals berths in 2015 and 2019, two trips to the Asian Games knockout stages in 2014 and 2018, and a quarterfinal berth at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship. </div>
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If the league could not generate cash in good times, how could it possibly sustain itself in a downturn? </div>
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<h3>
A Failed Business Model </h3>
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In today's globalised world, it has never been easier to generate revenues on the back of the world's most popular sport. FIFA's coffers are flush with cash and Gianni Infantino has been elected to consecutive terms as FIFA president on the backof a promise to share more wealth with the world's Football Associations. </div>
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E-commerce and free-to-use Google and Facebook platforms have also opened up revenue streams that were not there a generation ago. </div>
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A football club makes money one of three ways: Match day revenue from gate receipts, sponsorships, merchandising, and TV/digital revenue. </div>
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WBPL teams have no merchandising income, most have no individual sponsorships, and broadcast/digital remain untapped sources. </div>
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Ticket sales are brisk and at 10 shekels cannot cover the operating costs which for most clubs is about <a href="https://www.aljazeera.net/sport/football/2019/8/5/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%AC%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF">$750,000 per annum</a>. </div>
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Even when factoring in Oredoo/Jawal's sponsorship (estimated at $1 million) and the $1 million payout from the state there is no way clubs can cover their liabilities- especially those with high profile players. Equal payout of these revenues would mean Palestine's 48 professional clubs in the West Bank and Gaza would only receive $42,000. </div>
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Small leagues are also dependent on selling their best players to turn a profit, and although there is no shortage of talent in the league, there has been no effort to market and sell them in order to generate revenue. Islam Batran, Mohammed Saleh, Mahmoud Wadi, Oday Dabbagh, Tamer Seyam, Shadi Shaban, and Abdallah Jaber net the league a grand total of zero dollars. </div>
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The league's operators are intent in engaging in zero sum negotiations whereby a player has no choice but to play in the league for whatever wage he can scrape. A proposal to create a Palestine Players' Union to address underlying concerns of footballers was struck down in 2016, preserving the status quo. </div>
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FIFA's $6 million contribution </h3>
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According to FIFA's reporting Palestine was eligible for $4.3 Million in funding over the last cycle. From 2015-18, $3.7 Million was paid out to the PFA as part of FIFA's forward programme. Football's governing body is set to be even more generous this cycle with $6 million worth of funds available to the PFA. </div>
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The PFA also receives payments for the Asian Football Confederation and received $200,000 from the team's participation at the last Asian Cup. </div>
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The free flow of funding from the regional and global governing bodies of football makes the current state of affairs even more troubling. </div>
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Things have to change</h3>
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If the WBPL wants to survive it must change. It can be a viable alternative to Palestinian players playing in the Israeli leagues but it has to create the conditions that make playing in the West Bank an attractive proposition. </div>
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Clubs also need to be viable, revenue generating businesses. The clubs and the PFA are currently claiming that COVID-19 has badly affected their league. The reality is, however, that most games were played in empty stadiums and that no broadcast deal has ever been in place. Poor fields, atrocious refereeing, and subpar coaching are all issues that have to be addressed with immediate urgency. </div>
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The WBPL has to transform itself into a selling league; one that generates substantial profits from exporting talents it develops, while working on creating new revenue streams from untapped sources. Failure to do so could cost the league its life and set Palestinian football back a generation. </div>
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-61892019031092649992020-06-01T16:51:00.001+08:002020-06-03T13:22:29.246+08:00Reading between the lines: PFA issues statement regarding Abdallah Jaber transfer <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After more than a week's worth of silence, the Palestine Football Association has finally issued a statement regarding Abdallah Jaber's move to Hapoel Hadera of the Israeli Premier League:<br />
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[English Translation]<br />
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<i>"PFA Statement issues in regards to the transfer of Abdallah Jaber: </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The PFA would like to wish Abdallah Jaber, the former Hilal Al-Quds and national team player, the best of luck in this new phase of his career. We would like to point out that Jaber rose to the ranks of the national team due to the support he received from the Football Association and Palestinian clubs. Furthermore, we confirm that Abdallah Jaber has the right to play for any club he wishes in line with FIFA governing statues. </i><br />
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<i>The PFA also confirmed in the press release that Abdallah Jaber was never a leader of the Palestine national football team. The player would have been better served to follow the FIFA statutes in regards to transfers before announcing his move to the new club in light of the changes taking place due to the Coronavirus pandemic."</i><br />
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There were no additional details in regards to Jaber's move to Hapoel Hadera and the player's former club- Hilal Al-Quds- has remained mysteriously silent about the matter.<br />
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While the PFA complained that international statutes regarding transfers were not followed, and that the player took advantage of the Coronavirus pandemic to engineer a move, this is not an accurate portrayal of events.<br />
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WBPL clubs have operated in less than a professional manner. Many clubs have had trouble paying salaries on time; and this problem became more acute in recent years. In fact, clubs across the WBPL <a href="https://www.footballpalestine.com/2020/05/wbpl-set-to-return-despite-unpaid-wages.html">have not paid salaries at all in 2020</a> which caused the players to take their grievances to the PFA.<br />
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In the negotiations, the players were willing to defer salaries for the two month period in which the league was suspended due to coronavirus and requested the clubs to settle debts owed to them through mid-March. The PFA, who was on the hook for the debt owed, instead issued an ultimatum asking players to surrender their rights to the full amount owed to them in return for six weeks of pay.<br />
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Going unpaid for two months would allow any WBPL player to void his contract and sign for someone else as per <a href="https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774d7a636a4d77457a6333566d54/share_p.html">FIFA statutes</a>.<br />
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Abdallah Jaber's contract, like that of many WBPL players, ran through May 31st, 2020. With no extension to cover the league's postponement, Jaber is legally a free agent as of June 1st. <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/news/1667675">Football leagues around the world</a> had anticipated this problem and released directives to the players and clubs while the PFA resorted to extortion, as noted earlier.<br />
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From a contractual standpoint, Abdallah Jaber was free to sign with whomever he liked but to allude to statutes is rather rich consider the PFA's history of ignoring them.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
PFA & ITCs: A Parallel World </h3>
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The passive-aggressive tone of the press release is most likely due to the fact that the PFA has been known not to follow the international transfer guidelines themselves. When a player signs from an Israeli club, the PFA does not use the international transfer certificate (ITC) issued by the Israel Football Association. It instead, issues a <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/1.5046328">separate card to the player</a> which has resulted in clubs on either side of the green line ignoring a player's contractual obligations.<br />
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Eight years ago, Jabal El-Mukaber took Ali El-Khatib and Hapoel Haifa to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and while they won the settlement- <a href="https://jurisprudence.tas-cas.org/Shared%20Documents/4177.pdf">a payment of NIS 450,000 plus 5% interest</a> after a five year legal saga.<br />
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In 2012, FIFA issued a stern warning to the PFA in regards to its behaviour:<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">“[...</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">] any player who is registered with a club that is affiliated to one association shall not be eligible to play for a club affiliated to a different association unless an ITC has been </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">created/issued by the former association and received by the new association. [...] In this co </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">ntext, we kindly inform you that any possible violation of the above mentioned principles would be subject to disciplinary proceedings</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">”</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></li>
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Sources close to <i>Football Palestine </i> have confirmed that the PFA is still issuing parallel ITCs when signing a Palestinian player from the Israeli leagues. This would help explain why the PFA went on the record to state that Jaber is free to sign with whomever he pleases.</div>
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The mischaracterisation of Abdallah Jaber's role within the national team in an official press release is nothing short of juvenile:</div>
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It's worth noting that Abdallah Jaber is the fifth most capped player (56) in Palestine national team history (the PFA does not keep track of these records).</div>
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The left back was a key part of the squad that led Palestine to its first ever Asian Cup by winning the Challenge Cup in May 2014. Four months later, Jaber was again a key member of the U23 side that qualified for the knockout stages of the Asian Games for the first time in its history.</div>
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The 27 year old is one of only two players (National Team Captain Abdelatif Bahdari is the other) to have played every minute of all six of Palestine's games at an Asian Cup finals.</div>
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<i>Football Palestine </i>has also learned that Jaber was on a shortlist of three players to replace Abdelatif Bahdari as national team captain following his retirement earlier this year.</div>
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-55398221679128299232020-05-29T14:59:00.000+08:002020-05-29T17:05:08.467+08:00Rami Hamadi defends Jaber's decision to leave WBPL <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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National team goalkeeper Rami Hamadi has taken to social media to defend his teammate Abdallah Jaber from comments of angry fans following his move to Hapoel Hadera.<br />
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Hamadi who has been teammates with Jaber at Hilal Al-Quds as well as with the senior and U23 national teams lent his perspective on the situation which has been mischaracterised in many circles.<br />
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He posted this message to his fans on Facebook [English Translation below]:<br />
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<i>"I speak to you today about sport, resilience, and remaining. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>It hurt me to see the abuse that my friend Abdallah Jaber endured on Facebook and other social media platforms after he chose to leave the Palestinian League [WBPL] to play on the other side of the Green Line. Abdallah has reiterated many a time that he would not represent another national team and his loyalty to Palestine's national team throughout the years is unquestioned. So it came as a surprise to see many people ignorant of the reality of Palestinians on the other side of the Green Line.</i><br />
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<i>As a member of this community myself, I can tell you that we are besieged from all sides- politically, socially, and economically. Despite this difficult reality, it has not stopped our community from figuring out the equation of how to remain on our land and stay loyal to our nation, Palestine. </i><br />
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<i>For example, we have done all in our power to pursue educational endeavours and one need not look further than the Israeli healthcare system which is totally dependent on the presence of proud Palestinian doctors and nurses. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Our engineers have fought to prove their creativity and brilliance and are an important part of the technology sector. They have done this without compromising their principles or their loyalty. </i><br />
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<i>In sports, many a Palestinian player has proven himself at the highest level in the domestic league. They have proved their worth and ability despite having to endure racist taunting from fascistic audiences. </i><br />
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<i>Brothers and sisters, please take a moment to imagine how difficult it is for a Palestinian player to play in Teddy Stadium- the stronghold of the racist team Beitar Jerusalem. Despite the challenges, we as athletes have chosen to persevere because this is our land and on our land we shall remain. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I ask the fans to support any Palestinian athlete no matter where he or she may be. Please remember that the Palestinian national team is the team of all Palestinians. The fans on this side of the Green Line are some of the biggest supporters of the national team and are just as passionate as any other Palestine fan in the world. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I am Rami Hamadi son of Shefa-Amr, Haifa, and Jaffa. Son of Tulkarem, Qalqilya, Nablus, Jenin, and Gaza. Son of Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron. Son of Jerusalem. Goalkeeper of Al-Fida'i." </i><br />
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Several Israeli outlets have misreported the facts about Abdallah Jaber claiming he has been kicked off the national team or that he has received death threats. While many fans of Palestinian football are upset with the decision, there are also many Palestinians that have congratulated him on the move. The mischaracterisation of the response has been used to paint Israeli society in a positive light.<br />
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The player's former club- Hilal Al-Quds- who failed to pay wages of their players for the last five months, have not issued a statement on the matter. The Palestine Football Association has also yet to comment on the matter.<br />
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While it has been an unwritten rule not to call up Palestinians playing in Israeli leagues, the PFA stance has softened in recent months.<br />
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In March 2019, Omar Nahfawi of Maccabi Ahi Nazareth played for the Olympic team in Tokyo 2020 qualifying. In November 2019, Hapoel Nof HaGalil youth teamer Reebal Dahamseh was a key player for Palestine in their quest to qualify for the 2021 U20 World Cup. Dahamseh also received three senior team caps in January against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Burundi.</div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-652476960910279692020-05-25T14:45:00.001+08:002020-05-27T17:38:56.679+08:00Abdallah Jaber signs with Hapoel Hadera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="goog_1004253430"></span><span id="goog_1004253431"></span>In a shocking transfer, national team and Hilal Al-Quds left back Abdallah Jaber has signed a contract with Hapoel Hadera of the Israeli Premier League.<br />
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The mid-season move was facilitated by Hilal Al-Quds neglecting to pay its players for the past five months. FIFA recently mandated that any player who goes unpaid of two months can void his contract if the club fails to pay wages over a two month period.<br />
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Oday Dabbagh recently used this mechanism to void his contract with Al-Samliya and move to Kuwaiti rivals Al-Qadsia last year.<br />
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The move comes with serious repercussions for the Palestinian National Team as Abdallah Jaber was due to take over as captain from Abdelatif Bahdari. When competitive play reconvenes, Noureddine Ould Ali will have to find a way to replace two stalwarts who have helped Palestine become one of the toughest defenses to break down in all of Asia.<br />
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Abdallah Jaber along with other Palestinians who play in the Israeli leagues are barred from playing with the national team as the PFA has a stated policy of not dealing with Israeli clubs. Jaber has gone on record saying that he is not closing the door on the national team and will play for them should the parties involved find a solution to <a href="https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/sport/calcio/2020/05/24/difensore-nazionale-palestina-ingaggiato-in-israele_28685c2f-4f3e-4c3c-aa4f-baaf16e45aed.html">the impasse</a>.<br />
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At this stage of his career, Jaber's move to Hapoel Hadera can be seen as a stepping stone, should he play to his ability he is far more likely to attract interest and offers from European leagues than he did whilst in the West Bank. <br />
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The Tayibe born Jaber leaves the West Bank Premier League as one of its most decorated players despite never having won the league title he lifted four Palestine Cups (West Bank leg), three Super Cups, as well as the Yasser Arafat Cup in his time with Hilal Al-Quds and Ahli Al-Khaleel.<br />
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The left back rose to prominence in 2014 earning his first national team cap against Kyrgyzstan during the Challenge Cup. A key member of the side that qualified for Palestine's first ever Asian Cup in 2015- Abdallah Jaber played every single minute of Asia's showpiece event in 2015 and 2019.<br />
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At just 27 years old, Jaber is already the fifth most capped player in Palestine's history having amassed 56 caps over six years- scoring twice and assisting four times.<br />
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Hapoel Hadera currently sit in eight place in Israel's 14-team top tier, three points off the Championship round with seven matches left to play. The Israeli Premier League returns to action on June 4th. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-18847647023456473102020-05-25T13:37:00.000+08:002020-05-27T17:38:41.456+08:00WBPL set to return despite unpaid wages and extortion <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Like many sports leagues around the world Palestinian football has been in a state of paralysis since March. The extraordinary measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the West Bank will allow for the league to complete its remaining matches next month.<br />
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The PFA has announced that clubs will resume training on May 27th following the culmination of the Eid Al-Fitr holiday. The majority of clubs in the 12 team division have completed 19 rounds of play with three outstanding fixtures yet to be played.<br />
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Even before the crisis, many clubs were either in or on the brink of a full blown financial crisis. Clubs were almost entirely reliant on the league sponsorship for any sort of income alongside a trickle down payment from the PFA- who receive millions of dollars in development funding from FIFA.<br />
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A flawed business model means unpaid, or delayed payment, of wages is the norm for players plying their trade in the WBPL.<br />
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Hilal Al-Quds who earned a $320,000 on the back of their performance in the AFC Cup last year and additional $240,000 for qualifying to the group stages this year have not paid their players at all in 2020.<br />
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Players at other clubs have also gone unpaid in 2020 and have taken their grievances to Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub.<br />
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<i>Football Palestine </i>has learned that the PFA offered the players a take it or leave it deal that would see the players earn six weeks salary instead of the 21 weeks they are owed. In order to receive these wages players must sign a document forfeiting their right to claim to the full amount. Players who do not sign the document will not receive any wages.<br />
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The WBPL will return with the final match of the 18th match day- Ahli Al-Khaleel vs. Hilal Al-Quds- with both teams needing a win to remain in the title race. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-67186859692115694102020-04-19T19:11:00.003+08:002020-05-27T16:30:50.520+08:0010th edition of WAFF Championship to take place in early 2021<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has a stoppage of nearly every single football competition in the world. At the time of writing we have no concrete timetable for the completion of the 2019/20 season domestically and internationally.<br />
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This has thrown international football into disarray. The Euros and Olympics have been rescheduled to 2021 and Asian 2022 World Cup qualification has no restart date at the time of writing.<br />
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That said, the West Asian Football Federation Championship has announced that the next edition of the tournament will go ahead on schedule. The biennial tournament was not played in 2016 and the 2018 edition took place in 2019.<br />
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For the first time since its inception in 2000 all federations making up the West Asia sub federation will participate.<br />
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The United Arab Emirates will participate for the first time and will play hosts to the 12 teams.<br />
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Palestine- alongside Jordan- has participated in every edition and this will mark their tenth participation. <i>Al-Fida'i </i>have never progressed from the group stage but registered their best performance in the 2019 tournament- beating Yemen and Syria and holding Lebanon to a draw en route to a second place group stage finish.<br />
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Tournament organizers have released no additional details other than the dates of the tournament (January 2-15). </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-61847223107095898622020-03-23T12:16:00.002+08:002020-05-27T14:14:50.186+08:00Palestinians Abroad: Islam Batran on the verge of Croatia move.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After several months in limbo following his departure from Al-Jazzera it seems that Islam Batran has sealed a big transfer that should be sealed once league play resumes.<br />
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The 25 year old winger has bounced around since departing the WBPL and Ahli Al-Khaleel in 2016. A move to Wadi Degla started brightly but the player's progression was torpedoed following the firing of Patrice Carteron. After being frozen out from the first team by Mido, Batran moved to Al-Quwwa Al-Jawiyya but his contract with the Iraqi giants was voided mere weeks after his arrival which facilitated a move to Al-Jazeera for the 2018/19 season.<br />
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Visa problems delayed his European move which was slated for last summer during the Croatian pre-season. With the visa finally secured, Islam Batran can make the move but will have to wait until the registration period opens up next summer.<br />
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The Coronavirus crisis however, has thrown another wrench in the move. Batran's agent, Majid Al-Balawi, <a href="https://twitter.com/SPORTSUPER01/status/1241674630492012544">told </a><i><a href="https://twitter.com/SPORTSUPER01/status/1241674630492012544">SuperSport</a> </i>that a deal was in place to have Batran play with Sahab of the Jordanian top tier until he could be registered with his new Croatian club.<br />
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When pressed to reveal the identity of the club- Balawi explained that there were two offers on the table- one from relegation battlers Istra 1961 and one from 2016/17 Champions Rijeka.<br />
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Rijeka was the club of the Sharbini brothers who were involved in a nearly decade long saga over committing to play for the Palestinian national team. Ahmad and Anas Sharbini rank first and third in number of Croatian League goals scored for the Istrian club.<br />
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Batran <a href="http://www.novilist.hr/Sport/Nogomet/Derbijima-u-Opatiji-na-Mavrincima-i-u-Senju-pocinje-drugi-dio-treceligaske-sezone">ultimately chose to join Rijeka</a>, a club that has established itself as one of the country's best football teams in the last decade. Rijeka broke Dinamo Zagreb's 11 year consecutive streak of titles when they won in 2016/17 and have finished no lower than second since the 2013/14 season.<br />
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With 26 games played, NK Rijeka are in second place with ten matches left to be played in the league season.<br />
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There has been no official word as to whether the agreement between Batran and NK Rijeka will remain in place in light of the suspension of league football in Croatia and the rest of the world.<br />
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-45131207734388089322020-03-11T16:24:00.001+08:002020-05-27T14:14:49.915+08:00Coronavirus Crisis: Palestine's World Cup Qualifiers postponed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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FIFA and the AFC have decided to postpone a slate of FIFA World Cup qualifiers that were slated for March and June of this year. <div>
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FIFA <a href="https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/update-on-upcoming-fifa-world-cup-qualifiers">did not indicate</a> the rescheduled dates of these World Cup qualifiers but speculation is that they will be played in September or October of this year. </div>
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With the 2022 World Cup being staged in the winter of that year both organisations will have some lead time to reschedule postponed matches. </div>
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Palestine's chances of qualifying for the final group stage are currently on life support after taking a mere 4 points from their first five games- a stretch that saw <i>Al-Fida'i </i>suffer shock losses to Singapore and Yemen. </div>
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As for the AFC Cup fixtures all ties involving West Asian sides have also been postponed. That means Manama's trip to Palestine to face Hilal Al-Quds along with the Al-Jeish's trip to Beirut to face Al-Ahed will be rescheduled. </div>
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Palestine's league fixtures are being played behind closed doors with the cities of Jericho and Bethlehem in a state of lockdown. </div>
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There have been over 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 detected in Palestine on both sides of the Green Line but no deaths as of yet. </div>
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-3779241730879687202020-02-25T10:28:00.002+08:002020-05-27T16:28:10.314+08:00AFC Cup: Hilal rue missed chances, fall to Al-Jaish <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another AFC Cup match day, another heartbreaker for the defending WBPL Champion. After throwing away a 1-0 lead to Al-Ahed in their first game, Hilal Al-Quds conceded first to Al-Jeish who did not look back after Mohammed Al-Wakid's 37th minute goal.<br />
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Hilal Al-Quds did have an opportunity to level the score from the penalty spot in the second half. Mohammed Yameen opted to strike the ball straight down the middle only for Ibrahim Alma to make a kick save to preserve Al-Jeish's lead.<br />
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In the other Group A match, defending champions Al-Ahed suffered a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of Manama to keep the group wide open. Hilal Al-Quds remain bottom on zero points with Manama and Al-Jeish joint top on four points. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-7344349648666854032020-02-18T12:30:00.001+08:002020-05-27T16:30:22.612+08:00Coaching Chaos: PFA had the chance to hire Stefano Cusin, others rejected NT post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cusin was Walter Zenga's assistant at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016-17.</i></td></tr>
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<i>Football Palestine </i>has learned that the Palestine Football Association had the chance to appoint Stefano Cusin as the national team manager. The Italian tactician is best known for a slew of victories as the manager of Ahli Al-Khaleel between 2014 and 2015 that saw the Hebron side lift the Yasser Arafat Cup, the Palestine Cup, and the Palestine Super Cup.<br />
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Cusin had offered his services to the PFA after returning for a brief second stint at Ahli Al-Khaleel in 2019.<br />
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According to one source, the PFA rejected his offer because they were insistent that the the national team be led by a Palestinian.<br />
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Last month, Stefano Cusin signed on to become manager of Shahr Khodro in the Persian Gulf Pro League and has since succesfully guided them to the Asian Champions League group stage for the first time in their history.<br />
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Reliable sources have also informed <i>Football Palestine </i>that the role of national team manager was offered to Olympic Team coach Ayman Sandouqa but he turned it down. Multiple people close to the situation have speculated that Sandouqa did not want to deal with the increasingly political nature of the post and preferred to have full control as manager of the U23s.<br />
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Palestine's coaching situation remains unclear with even players unaware of who will lead them next month in a World Cup qualifier against Singapore. Noureddine Ould Ali was not on the bench for four matches during January that saw a B side triumph in a friendly tournament with wins over Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, and Burundi with Goalkeeper Coach Makram Daboub guiding the team. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-20631495827882877292020-02-12T13:14:00.004+08:002020-05-27T16:29:15.772+08:00AFC Cup: Hilal Al-Quds push holders Al-Ahed to brink, lose on late goal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On a pitch resembling something between a cow pasture and a potato field, WBPL champions Hilal Al-Quds raced to an early lead against Al-Ahed but were left ruing missed chances. The current holders of the competition struck twice in the second half to secure a come from behind 2-1 victory.<br />
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The quality of the pitch at the Camille Chamoun Stadium in Beirut was the main talking point as both sides struggled to preform the basics on the bumpy and slippery surface.<br />
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For not the first time this season, Hilal struggled to finish opportunities and are still struggling in attack following the departure of Oday Dabbagh. The Palestinian leagues are not known for developing high quality #9s and Hilal have been trying to find a way to compensate for the lack of options at that position.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(136, 153, 166); color: #8899a6; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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🎥 WATCH | Defending champions bounce back to seal victory in their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFCCup2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFCCup2020</a> opener! <a href="https://t.co/JaDdBM6ZFa">pic.twitter.com/JaDdBM6ZFa</a></div>
— #AFCCup2020 (@AFCCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFCCup/status/1226946505782657024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On a positive note, new arrivals Faiq Mahamid- who scored the opener in the 15th minute and Mahmoud Awesat have given the capital city side new life. Hilal were way better in comparison to the two drab encounters the team put together against Sur SC in the qualification phase.<br />
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That said, defensive lapses cost them dearly despite Rami Hamadi making several positive interventions. The hope for Hilal Al-Quds is that performances should get better with the return of Mohammed Darweesh to full health and with added time to integrate new arrivals during the winter transfer window.<br />
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In other AFC Cup matches involving Palestinian players, Matías Jadue was a late injury scratch as Ho Chi Minh City FC battled back to secure a 2-2 draw with all goals coming in the first half.<br />
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Over in the West Zone, Oday Dabbagh started and played 62 minutes for Kuwaiti side Al-Qadsia who triumphed 2-1 over Bahraini league runners up Al-Rifaa.<br />
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Islam Batran who is on the books of Al-Jazeera remains on strike awaiting over $25,000 in unpaid wages. The Jordanians suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Dhofar in the opening match day of their 2020 AFC Cup campaign. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-37567218512404176542020-01-29T12:11:00.000+08:002020-05-27T16:29:15.925+08:00Hilal Al-Quds will host only one game during AFC Cup group stage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hilal Al-Quds are through to the group stages of the AFC Cup for the second consecutive year, marking the fifth time a Palestinian club has made it that far in the Asian continent's Europa League equivalent.<br />
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Palestinian side have always faced trouble in hosting many West Asian opponents on their home turf due to the ongoing Israeli occupation- which has resulted in forfeits, adjudicated decisions, and matches on neutral turf. The 2020 edition of the AFC Cup will generate the same questions after Hilal Al-Quds triumphed over Sur Club of Oman 2-0 on aggregate.<br />
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The Palestinian champions have been drawn in Group A and will face the holders Al-Ahed, Syrian champions Al-Jaish, and Bahraini side Manama.<br />
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Visits of Arab teams to Palestine is often seen as a normalisation of Israeli occupation with many in Palestine and abroad advocating for a complete boycott of such activity.<br />
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Jordan is the only state in the region with formal diplomatic relations with Israel but Palestine has played hosts to national or club teams from Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and most recently, Saudi Arabia. </div>
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Teams from Lebanon and Syria have yet to visit Palestine and given the current political status quo that looks unlikely to change anytime soon. </div>
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Palestinian teams were drawn with Lebanese or Syrian clubs in the 2016 and 2019 editions of the tournament.</div>
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In 2016, the AFC had no plan in place and a crisis ensued that played a big part in the group stage eliminations of Shabab Al-Dhahrieh and Ahli Al-Khaleel. The scenario repeated itself last year, with the governing body waiting until the 11th hour to mandate Hilal Al-Quds play Al-Jaish and Nejmeh on neutral territory. </div>
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This time around, the AFC has mandated that all clubs involved select a neutral location to host their games. This has been the modus operandi for Syrian clubs who have bot been able to host matches due to the ongoing civil war. As a result, Hilal Al-Quds will only play host to Bahraini League runners-up Manama and will most likely host their Syrian and Lebanese counterparts in the Jordanian capital of Amman. </div>
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The Jerusalem based club kicks off its Group stage campaign on February 10th and will host its only home game on March 9th. </div>
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-21343922012493395392020-01-26T03:33:00.002+08:002020-05-27T16:31:58.680+08:00Rapid Reaction: Palestine 3:1 Burundi (2020 Bangabandhu Gold Cup)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Starting XI: </b><i>Toufic Ali, Radwan Abukarash, Mohamed Khalil, Musa Saleem, Yazan Iwaiwi; Mahmoud Abu Warda, Sameh Maraaba, Odai Kharoub, Layth Kharoub (Ahmed Qatmish); Mohamed Darwish (Reebal Dahamshe), Khaled Salem (Amor Qitawi)</i><br />
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<b>Goals: </b><i>Khaled Salem 3', Sameh Maraaba 9' Layth Kharoub 25' </i><br />
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<b>Recap: </b>After a series of three successive unconvincing performances, Palestine erupted early and often to seal a successful title defence. A 3-1 win over Burundi's B team was not what many expected following back to back performances headlined bby poor play against even poorer opposition. Of not for late goals against Sri Lanka and Seychelles, Palestine might not have been in this situation at all.<br />
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Khaled Salem opened the scoring after just two minutes- tapping in a low driven ball from Mohamed Darwish. Sameh Maraaba double the score after some lackadaisical defending by Burundi on a for er kick. Palestine had their third less than 30 minutes later- Darwish was key in the set up of Salem whoshe shot clattered against the post and into the path of Layth Kharoub. The Balata man's third goal of the tournament will warrant him future consideration for the national team.<br />
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Palestine didn't do much after that. In fact, after scoring the second goal they stuck their o My recognized forward on the right wing and played with something in between a false 9 and a speed option up top until Reebal Dahamshe's introduction into the match.<br />
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Burundi threw everything at Palestine in the second werehalf and rewarded with a goal on the hour mark. It was case of too little to late though, the African side amassed 64% possession and 16 shots but could not find a way back into the game.<br />
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For Palestine their three shots would suffice. Remarkably, as they had done for the past three games, Al-Fida'i converted 100% of their shots.<br />
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<b>What I liked: </b>Winning is always a good thing. This tournament may be meaningless and will do nothing to help Palestine's broken WCQ campaign but it will be a lot easier to push the program in the right direction if and when a new coach is hired. Moreover, the first 25 minutes showcased the efficacy of the long ball tactic- which worked due to.the fact that Burundi made mistakes while pushing forward in attack.<br />
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This tournament also saw debuts for a slew of you g players. For the defenders and the goalkeepers the weak was of the opposition means it's nearly impossible to assess their performance. Further up the pitch, Reebal Dahamshe did not look out of place despite only being 17 years old. Mohamed Darwish, Layth Kharoub, and Dawoud Iraqi were amongst the standouts who should be called up when the national team reconvenes.<br />
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<b>What I didn't like: </b>The national team has not been fun to watch in a very long time. It doesn't matter the opponent- the style will always be attritional. Palestine should have and could have practiced stroking the ball amongst themselves at 3-0 instead they defended deeper and deeper. Burundi were too weak an oppone to overturn the deficit but playing in such a manner is not viable. Palestine needs an identity and while elements of what Daboub/Ould Ali do can be incorporated hoofing the ball forwards in all and every circumstance is not a successful approach and is wasting Palestine:s preponderance of attacking talent. <br />
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<b>What's Next: </b><i>Palestine face Singapore in a World Cup qualifier on March 26th. </i></div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-67574195803543003102020-01-22T22:19:00.001+08:002020-05-27T16:31:58.882+08:00Rapid Reaction: Palestine 1:0 Seychelles (2020 Bangabandhu Gold Cup)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Starting XI: </b><i>Naim Abu Aker, Radwan Abukarash, Musa Saleem, Yazan Iwaiwi, Ahmed Qatmish; Sameh Maraaba, Dawoud Iraqi, Odai Kharoub, Layth Kharoub (Rami Musalmeh); Mahmoud Abu Warda (Mohamed Darwish</i><i>), Khaled Salem </i><br />
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<b>Goals: Layth Kharoub 79'</b><br />
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<b>Highlights: </b><br />
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<b>Recap: </b>After sleep walking through the group stages <i>Al-Fida'i</i> were braced for their first real test of the tournament. In seeking to defend their title a makeshift defence managed to maintain Palestine's clean sheet streak. In the 2018 tournament, Palestine registered results of 2-0, 1-0, 2-0, and 0-0 against Tajikistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. A pair of 2-0 wins over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka continued the trend to start the 2020 tournament- papering over some unconvincing performances including a near embarrassment against lowly Sri Lanka.<br />
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It was rather ironic that a team that could only manage a meagre two draws and three goals in their last 12 games coming into the Gold Cup. The islanders were still looking for a win- which would have been their first since 2016- coming into this match against the holders Palestine. <i>The Pirates </i>only advanced to the semifinal stage after a 2-2 draw against Mauritius- who had lost to Burundi by three goals as opposed to Seychelles two.<br />
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Palestine did start off well and did put together a lineup that featured its best performers over the past two games. The extra three days' rest also helped Palestine dominate possession during the opening 20 minutes. That said, despite the improved play there was a struggle to create chances and that led to get very few serious attempts at goal. <br />
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That trend continued in the second half with Seychelles growing into the game and at one point registering more shots than Palestine.<br />
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Seychelles even managed to hold Khaled Salem in check despite one if their centrebacks playing injured for more than an hour. Salem was once again anonymous, lazy, and ineffective yet got the honor of playing a full 90 minutes.<br />
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Palestine's breakthrough was a product of luck with Layth Kharoub latching on to Abu Warda's long ball, dribbling forward and delivering a wayward cross that floated above the goalkeeper's head and into the net.<br />
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<b>What I liked: Palestine</b> were better to start the match but the insistence on long balls is baffling. A win is a win and a team like Palestine can never take that for granted. A clean sheet is also nice That said Seychelles are ranked 200th in the world and looked perfectly comfortable for large periods of the game.<br />
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<b>What I didn't like: </b>A long ball tactic might work with an effective number 9 or when playing against stronger opposition likely to cede ground in defence. There isn't a single team in this tournament that would be susceptible to counterattacks. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The players executed a flawed strategy but it is one that is hard to watch. While it's great to see the likes of Iraqi, Darwish, and even Layth Kharoub get a chance with the national team it was nearly negated by having to see Khaled Salem start ahead of Reebal Dahamsheh- who actually has a future with this team. Khaled Salem was kept in check by a guy who could barely run. Should he start the final it would be a huge miscarriage of justice.<br />
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<i><b>What's Next: </b>Palestine face the winner of Burundi v Bangladesh in the final on Saturday. </i></div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-25284300405226284312020-01-21T22:31:00.002+08:002020-05-27T16:31:16.924+08:00Hilal Al-Quds 2:0 Sur SC (2020 AFC Cup)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It was a slow and an often boring affair, but the three time WBPL champions got the job done at home against Omani opposition for the second year in a row.<br />
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Mahmoud Awesat scored the opener after just 12 minutes after a Rami Hamadi clearance hit a Sur defender into the path of Faik Mahameed. The newly signed striker slotted an instinctive pass to Awesat who scored for the first time since resigning for the club during the winter break.<br />
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The Qaboos Cup champions looked tired, ragged and bereft of ideas for the entirety of the first half and were thankful to head into the dressing rooms down only 1-0.<br />
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For their part, Hilal were not spectacular nor explosive with their captain Mohammed Darweesh sidelined due to injury it fell to Mohammed Rashid to marshal the center of the pitch on his own. The former Al-Bireh player did an admirable job and was duly rewarded for his efforts with a goal in the 66th minute. His shot was a blade cutter that never left the ground but was so well placed that there was little Sur's Fuad Al-Ghaithi could do about it. The portly goalkeeper's frustrations summed up Sur in microcosm- as a team out of its depth, out of shape, and out of ideas.<br />
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Sur SC qualified for the tournament by winning Oman's Cup competition last year in the midst of a horrendous season that saw them finish 13th out of 14 teams. That unexpected victory against Al-Nassr was accompanied with relegation to the second tier and a plane ticket to Jerusalem via Amman to play the Palestinian Champions.<br />
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For their part, Hilal Al-Quds look nothing like the side that burst on the AFC Cup scene last year. Their attack this season has been anemic without Oday Dabbagh and the decision to lure Mahmoud Awesat was a clever one.<br />
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A whopping seven points back of current leaders Balata; Hilal are almost certainly out of the title race barring a collapse of both Shabab Al-Khaleel and the aforementioned Balata.<br />
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The AFC Cup however represents an opportunity for the capital city side to further stake their claim as Palestine's elite club. Moreover it also to gives the club a chance of returning to continental competition on an even more consistent basis in the future.<br />
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Palestine and Oman are locked in a battle to improve their league's coefficient ranking. Palestine came close to overhauling Oman in the 2019-2021 coefficient but narrowly missed out. Results like today's wins will help close the gap and could result in Palestine's AFC Cup allotment increasing from </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-26391851887537588542020-01-19T03:18:00.001+08:002020-05-27T16:31:58.783+08:00Rapid Reaction: Palestine 2:0 Sri Lanka (2020 Bangabandhu Gold Cup)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Starting XI: </b><i>Anas Abusaif, Thaer Jboor, Yazan Iwaiwi, Musa Saleem, Ahmed Qatmish, Mohamed Darwish (Layth Kharoub), Dawoud Iraqi, Musab Abusalem, Mahmoud Abu Warda, Rami Musalmeh (Sameh Maraaba), Reebal Dahamshe (Khaled Salem)</i><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Goals:</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>Mahmoud Abu Warda 90+3, Khaled Salem 90+6<br />
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<b>Recap: </b>Friday's encounter marked the first time Palestine and Sri Lanka have met at senior level but the 9-0 destruction doled out by Palestine's U23 team 10 months ago set expectations rather high. While <i>Al-Fida'i</i> did have more possession and shots than against Bangladesh they were bereft of attacking ideas from the outset. It took less than a minute for bad habits to creep in with the captain- Mahmoud Abu Warda needlessly launching a long ball from inside his own half (spoiler alert: Sri Lanka won a free kick).<br />
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Five minutes later, Rami Musalmeh won possession just outside the box, shoved Abu Warda out of his way and then proceeded to square the ball to no one. Despite enjoying 65% possession in the first half, Palestine hardly mustered just two fairly innocuous shots on goal. Some of the attacking rhythm was just bizarre, as stand-in manager Makram Dabdoub elected to attack almost exclusively down the right flank.<br />
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Many attacks broke down as a result of Rami Musalmeh deployed as a #10 simply making the wrong decision in the build up- errant passes and a hesitancy to shoot left 17 year old Reebal Dahamshe as isolated as Mohamed Darwish was on the left flank.<br />
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Palestine were far improved after the restart with the first 10 minutes producing two real goal scoring chances courtesy of a Rami Musalmeh header that was cleared off the line and a Mohamed Darwish free kick.<br />
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That said, certain members of <i>Al-Fida'i </i>did display a lack of awareness- Musab Abusalem chief amongst them as he dribbled around in the opponent's box when a pass could have generated a scoring opportunity for one of his teammates.<br />
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The shots came thick and fast with Palestine hitting the post as Mahmoud Abu Warda grew ever more influential as a service provider.<br />
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Palestine continued to pour on the pressure as the minutes ticked away- there was a chance for Darwish who skied a first time volley- when he had plenty of time to settle the ball before shooting. Five minutes later, fellow Germany based Dawoud Iraqi drove into the box and forced a save from Prabath Ruwan.<br />
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Palestine would continue to search for a winner until injury time when substitute Sameh Maraaba set up Mahmoud Abu Warda with an exquisite cross. The diminutive Abu Warda launched himself at the ball to put Palestine ahead after 93 minutes.<br />
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With the last kick of the game another substitute- Khaled Salem- doubled the scoreline- a blistering counterattack started by Layth Kharoub and finished in just three touches. Dawoud Iraqi set up Salem and a fortuitous touch saw the ball roll past the goalkeeper and an out stretched defence.<br />
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<b>What I liked: </b>It was good to see Reebal Dahamshe start- these types of friendlies should be used as testing grounds for promising players. I thought the 17 year old did quite well in certain phases of the game but he was let down by his manager who paired him with the inept Rami Musalmeh.<br />
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It was also good to see the team dig deep and get a win. It was ugly but winning in difficult circumstances is part and parcel of international football. For the few that will go on to play with the A team this was a good experience.<br />
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<b>What I didn't like: </b>The first half was horrible. Palestine, even with its B-team, should be able to finish one of the weakest sides in Asia after just 45 minutes of play. There was no urgency from many of the players- Rami Musalmeh chief amongst them. There was cowardice on the part of the manager as well who only really unchained his fullbacks in the second half.<br />
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The fact of the matter is that Palestine has no identity in attack and it becomes obvious when they play weaker teams who can nullify long ball tactics by simply stationing eight players in the vicinity of the two forwards.<br />
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Whether it's with fringe players or the full side Palestine need to assert their dominance when they have possession especially against weaker opposition. This was a side that had shown an ability to do just that between 2015 and 2017.<br />
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The broadcast commentator put it best "certainly not fluid... I am still waiting to see the team that is in the top 100 in the FIFA Rankings- they don't look to different from the teams further down the rankings."<br />
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<b>Khaled Salem: </b>What irks me the most about Khaled Salem is not his lack of ability but his lack of awareness. He constantly mopes and complains on the pitch and has failed to mature since bursting onto the scene in 2010.<br />
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The first thing he did when he came onto the pitch today was to wrestle the captain's armband off Mahmoud Abu Warda (who was fully deserving of his Man of the Match award). He then proceeded to lose possession fluff his lines in front of goal and complain to the referee for 65 minutes. Yes he might have two goals in to games but only as a result of two 1v1 situations.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">What's Next: </i>Palestine have won Group A and will face either Seychelles or Mauritius in the semifinal on Wednesday at 5 PM local time. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-79378027843246001502020-01-15T22:17:00.002+08:002020-05-27T16:31:58.931+08:00Rapid Reaction: Bangladesh 0:2 Palestine (2020 Bangabandhu Gold Cup)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Starting XI: </b><i>Toufic Ali; Radwan Abu Karsh, Musa Saleem, Mohammed Khalil, Yazan Owaiwi; Mahmoud Abu Warda; Odai Kharoub, Sameh Maraaba, Laith Kharoub (Rami Musalmeh); Mohammed Darwish (Dawoud Iraqi); Khaled Salem (Reebal Dahamshe)</i><br />
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<i><b>Goals: </b>Khaled Salem 29' Laith Kharoub 58' </i><br />
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<b>Recap: </b>A starting lineup that featured five debutants generated the same result when these two teams met in the 2018 tournament. That said, 2-0 does not tell the entire scoreline as Bangladesh had shown more attacking intent up until Khaled Salem grabbed the opener in the 29th minute. The 30 year old striker had put together a highlight reel of ineffective play up until that point. The Shabab Al-Khaleel striker will owe a great debt to Odai Kharoub for recognizing his run and providing him with a great pass that resulted in a 1v1 with the Bangladeshi goalkeeper.<br />
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Palestine continued to labour needlessly for the next thirty minutes, insisting on playing long balls and gifting possession to the hosts. Jamie Day's men executed their manager's instructions well for the most part- generating more shots than Palestine who rank 81 spots above them in the FIFA rankings.<br />
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With about 50% possession, Bangladesh weren't made to suffer and instead found ways to inflict pressure on their opponents. Toufic Ali spent much of the first half showcasing his inexplicable weakness on crosses- flapping at the ball on numerous occasions and failing to command his area. Bangladesh should have equalized when a long cross evaded Toufic Ali and Mohammed Khalil and landed in the path of a Bangladeshi forward who shot wide from two meters out.<br />
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Palestine put the match out of reach after the restart with captain Sameh Maraaba receiving a quick free kick and launching a long ball into the box. That tactic paid off- after dozens of failed attempts- as Laith Kharoub was gifted the chance to score on his debut, having been left totally unmarked.<br />
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Palestine were able to better assert themselves in the match's final half hour; playing in third gear and securing all three points in the tournament's opener.<br />
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<b>What I liked: </b>Palestine broke a winless streak. It might be an unofficial and meaningless tournament but after failing to win in their last four- effectively ending their World Cup qualification hopes- this result was needed in order to stop a downward spiral. It was also good to see young players like Dawoud Iraqi, Mohammed Darwish, and Reebal Dahamshe make their debuts with the national team.<br />
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<b>What I didn't like: </b>Palestine continued the trend of playing down to their opponents level. With the attacking ability of Sameh Maraba, Mahmoud Abu Warda, and Mohammed Darwish in the starting lineup, Palestine had an opportunity to play more proactively and positively. Instead we saw the redeployment of a failed tactic that led to Palestine playing poorly and losing to Yemen and Singapore.<br />
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When the ball was successfully hoofed to Khaled Salem he showcased an uncanny ability to shoot wide, lose possession, and misplace passes. More often than not, Palestine weren't winning possession- and Bangladesh could circumvent four players with one pass and launch a counter attack since the backline were stationed far too deep in relation to their teammates.<br />
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What was more frustrating was the fact that we did not get to see Palestine's most gifted players strut their stuff. At no point did it seem that there was huge gulf in quality between Bangladesh and Palestine.<br />
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To put it simply, <i>Al-Fida'i </i>were able to win this game because of Bangladesh's self inflicted errors not because of any positive passage of play or tactical instruction.<br />
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<b>Plan for the future: </b>I am all for handing a wider group of players experience but I fail to see the point in fielding players who are known quantities. Sameh Maraaba, Khaled Salem, and Toufic Ali had 99 caps between them coming into this match. Each player has played over 30 times for the national team and we didn't learn anything new about them. Toufic Ali (30) is wildly inconsistent and has obviously neglected training during the winter break. Sameh Maraaba (27) is a good player who will feast on Asia's weaker teams. Khaled Salem (30) is not cut out for international football and despite his strength and speed he makes way too many mistakes.<br />
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If it were up to me, I would have fielded players born exclusively after 1995. Only Mahmoud Abu Warda, Mohammed Khalil, Dawoud Iraqi, Reebal Dahmsheh, and Mohammed Darwish would fit that description.<br />
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There is no use in handing a 28 year old his debut when he will be on his last legs come the Asian Cup in three years' time. That might seem harsh- especially since 27 year old Radwan Abu Karsh acquitted himself quite well- but it is reality. The average national team footballer makes his debut at 23 and is effectively out of the picture by 27. Since 1998 only 25 players aged 31 or above have played for the national team and only eight players have played for Palestine past their 33rd birthday. Now is the time to plan for the future and I would like to see heavy squad rotation reflect that in the next game.<br />
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<b>What's Next: </b><i>Palestine face Sri Lanka on Friday needing just a point to ensure they advance to the semifinals of the tournament. Kickoff is set for 17:00 local time. </i></div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-2734097185706666432020-01-14T16:21:00.001+08:002020-05-27T16:31:58.832+08:00'Reserve' Squad to compete in 2020 Bangabandhu Gold Cup <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With the fate of national team manager Noureddine Ould Ali yet to be determined <i>Football Palestine</i> has learned that the PFA has elected to send only Fahed Attal and Makram Dabdoub to lead the squad in Bangladesh.<br />
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The national team is set to begin its title defence on Wednesday when they face off against hosts Bangladesh in the tournament's opening game.<br />
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Germany based Mohammed Darwish and Dawoud Iraqi headline a squad of mostly fringe players with a sprinkling of experience in the form of Toufic Ali, Sameh Maraaba, and Khaled Salem.<br />
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Twelve of the 21 members of the team have never played for the senior team before with many earning their first invitations to a national team camp.<br />
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U19 striker Ribal Dahamsheh, who scored four goals in the U20 AFC Championship qualifying tournament, is amongst those first timers to be handed a call up.<br />
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<i>(Updated: January 16th, 2020) </i><br />
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<i>The squad is as follows:</i><br />
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-31802325872153264052020-01-09T12:37:00.000+08:002020-05-27T14:14:49.728+08:00Palestinians Abroad: Mahmoud Eid moves to Indonesia's Liga I <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Mahmoud Eid has a new club months after announcing his departure from the Allsvenskan following a three year stint with Kalmar FF.<br />
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The versatile attacking midfielder was unveiled as a Persebaya player on Tuesday- signing a one year contract with the 2019 Indonesian league runners up. The team will compete in the 2020 AFC Cup should Liga I winners Bali United qualify for the Asian Champions League.<br />
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Eid, 26, amassed 35 appearances and three goals during his time with Kalmar. He got off to a flying start in the summer of 2016- scoring on his debut mere hours after completing a transfer from Atvidabergs.<br />
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He fell out of favour last season and spent much of it on loan in Norway and the Swedish second division. After Kalmar changed their manager for the 2019 season- Eid became a key cog in the team's five man midfield. Upon announcing his intent to leave Kalmar to club officials he found himself frozen out of the squad during a tumultuous time which nearly saw Kalmar relegated.<br />
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In 151 league games in Sweden and Norway Eid has notched 42 goals and 24 assists. He has also garnered 18 caps with Palestine since debuting in 2014, scoring one goal.<br />
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Mahmoud Eid becomes the third Palestinian player to play professionally in Indonesia's top tier following in the footsteps of current PSIS Semarang midfielder Jonathan Cantillana and Patricio Avecedo who played for PSMS Medan (2002-04) and Semen Padang (2007-08). </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-33816575745242730062020-01-05T19:16:00.000+08:002020-05-27T16:33:15.661+08:00This is why Ould Ali remains in charge <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After nearly two months of speculation- there has been no official word as to how the Palestine Football Association intends to proceed after a disastrous zero point haul against Yemen and Uzbekistan all but sealed the fate of<i> Al-Fida'i </i> on the road to Qatar 2022. </div>
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Almost immediately following the 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan the PFA issued a statement announcing the formation of a technical committee to review the performance of the coaching staff. On Boxing Day, the PFA announced that yet another committee would study the findings of the technical committee before taking action. </div>
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It is a scenario that closely parallels the fallout after the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Many had assumed that Ould Ali would be shown the door and the technical committee had indeed recommended changing the coaching staff. </div>
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The conclusion reached in the Spring of 2019 was the same as the one reached last month. The reticence to pull the trigger comes from PFA President Jibril Rajoub who will not spend money on a foreign hire and does not like the two cost friendly options available to him- Abdel Nasser Barakat and Ayman Sandouqa.<br />
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Ould Ali earns a base salary of around $2,000 USD/month before bonuses and any local candidate will earn roughly the same salary. </div>
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Rajoub has dug in his heels since acquiescing to the demands of the fans and firing Julio Baldivieso in March 2018. The PFA President sees the return of Barakat as an admission of his erroneous decision making. Rajoub has also dismissed the idea of appointing Sandouqa due to his "strong personality" according to one source. </div>
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<i>Football Palestine </i>has also learned that Jibril Rajoub has not paid the wages guaranteed of thou to Baldivieso and his coaching staff. Baldivieso and his assistants were guaranteed the full value (in the high six figures) of the contract- even in the event of dismissal. </div>
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Palestine will not compete at the 2020 Olympics and although mathematically alive they are all but eliminated from the 2022 World Cup. Meaning the next major tournaments Palestine can qualify for is the 2023 Asian Cup, the 2024 Olympics, and the 48 team World Cup in 2026. </div>
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A change of manager and an infusion of youth would need to happen sooner rather than later so that attention can shift to the future. </div>
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Ould Ali is the second most tenured manager in national team history in terms of matches played. The Franco-Algerian has been in charge for 27 official matched and two unofficial ones since taking the helm in April 2018. </div>
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As mentioned previously, there has been a <a href="https://www.footballpalestine.com/2019/11/ould-alis-reign-has-been-marked-by.html">s<span id="goog_1832161403"></span>tatistical decline</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1832161404"></span></a> in nearly every aspect of the team's play and losses against Yemen and Singapore-teams that Palestine should be beating- have exposed the former physio as being out of his depth. </div>
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-995293128765165572020-01-05T18:58:00.004+08:002020-05-27T16:32:22.821+08:00Palestine set to defend Gold Cup title<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Football Palestine </i>has learned thatPalestine will participate in the 2020 edition of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup later this month. The national team won the informal trophy in October 2018 following wins against Tajikistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh before overcoming Tajikistan on penalty kicks in the final. </div>
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The format will mirror the one from two years ago. Six teams are due to participate- three from Asia and three from Africa. Palestine have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Bangladesh and fellow Asians Sri Lanka. Group B features Burundi, Seychelles, and Mauritius. </div>
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The tournament will run form January 13th to January 26th. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. </div>
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The squad of participating players has not been revealed but HSC Hannover has announced that Olympic Team standout Mohammed Darwish has been called up to represent the senior team for the first time. </div>
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Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-85088860359253947022019-12-20T16:33:00.000+08:002020-05-27T14:14:50.578+08:00Football Palestine's Team of the Decade (2010-19)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was my hope that a celebratory look back at the last ten years could be delivered in slightly better circumstances. The senior team due to the ineptitude of Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub has had to contest their last thirty games under a cloud due to a completely fabricated managerial crisis. Without a competent manager, the national team has squandered a golden opportunity to advance further than they have ever before in World Cup qualifying and the unexpected losses to Singapore and Yemen- following an historic win against Uzbekistan will live long in the memory.<br />
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That said, if we take into account the progress of the national team in the last decade there is no shortage of things to celebrate.<br />
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At the start of the decade, Palestine had only scored 84 goals, they have notched 141 goals since. They had a merger 11 international wins to their name, but have more than quadrupled the total- to 50, currently. The program is moving in the right direction and successful qualifications to the 2015 and 2019 Asian Cup as well as a quarterfinal appearance in the U23 AFC Championship in 2018 is testament to that.<br />
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Below are the players who grace Palestine's team of the decade as voted on by you the fans on Twitter and Instagram:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Stats displayed only from 2010 onwards. Assists only tracked from 2015 onwards. </span><br />
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<b>Rami Hamadi </b><br />
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<i>Stats: 28 caps, 15 clean sheets, 22 goals conceded</i></div>
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Hamadi's quick reflexes, athleticism, and confidence have given him the platform for a meteoric career trajectory. The Shefa-'Amr native turned pro at 17 with Thaqafi Tulkarem and was invited into his first national team training camp two years later. An unofficial debut in a 2013 4-1 loss to Jordan followed in 2013 but he would have to wait a full five years before making his official bow.<br />
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In the interim years Hamadi made a name for himself in an Olympic Team friendly against Brazil- saving a penalty kick and keeping a clean sheet for over 60 minutes. That performance saw him become the youngest ever player selected to represent Palestine at an Asian Cup tournament in 2015. On club level he holds the record for fewest goals conceded- 9- in a WBPL season. Since becoming Palestine's number one goalkeeper- Hamadi's stats have been phenomenal. 28 starts, 15 clean sheets, 22 goals conceded.<br />
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At 25, the best is still yet to come for one of Asia's best young goalkeepers.<br />
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<b>Mus'ab Al-Battat</b><br />
<i>Stats: 42 caps, 38 starts, 1 goal, 2 assists</i><br />
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When Ahmad El-Hassan boldly handed Al-Battat the responsibility of starting all three of Palestine's group stage games at the 2015 Asian Cup the move was wildly derided. Not least by one of the veteran incumbents he displaced. "I think a game like this could have used the experience of a Raed Fares" Raed Fares boldly declared after Palestine suffered a 5-1 loss at the hands of Jordan.<br />
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In retrospect, it was the right move by El-Hassan as Musab Al-Battat learned from his mistakes and got better. He scored his first national team goal five months later- kicking off a 6-0 rout of Malaysia in 2018 World Cup qualifying.<br />
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When the next Asian Cup rolled around in 2019, Al-Battat was far more experienced and he benefited from fighting off established veterans for his spot. Al-Battat was by far and away Palestine's best player (when he wasn't comically being fielded as a center back) at the tournament and when he was given license to bomb up the pitch he provided great crosses that could have altered Palestine's fate at the tournament. <br />
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<b>Abdelatif Bahdari </b><br />
<i>Stats: 65 caps, 63 starts, 9 goals, 3 assists</i><br />
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There are not enough words to do Bahdari's contribution to Palestinian football justice. First and foremost, the hulking centre back is a freak of nature but more than that he is a fierce competitor and a tenacious leader. The Gazan was too young to link up with the class of 2002 that powered Palestine to some impressive results in the early part of the last decade. Instead he arrived on the scene in the midst of tumult in Palestinian football in spite of all that he carved out a respectable club career with Al-Wehdat (over two stints) in Jordan and was a one-man wrecking crew for Hajer in the Saudi Pro League.<br />
Success at club level would be followed with success with the national team helping Palestine qualify for the 2015 and 2019 Asian Cups and playing every minute in both finals campaigns. Not only does the captain hold the record for most amount of games played for Palestine (73 and counting), he also is the oldest player to ever play for the national team, the oldest goalscorer, and the fifth top scorer. To add to all that he's also assisted three goals since <i>Football Palestine </i>started tracking the statistic in 2015.<br />
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<b>Haitham Dheeb </b><br />
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<i>Stats: 34 caps, 31 starts, 1 goal</i><br />
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Haitham Dheeb is a player who deserved far more for his efforts with the national team and his inability to represent his country at either the 2015 or the 2019 Asian Cups shows how little the PFA cares for its athletes. As a teacher in the Israeli school system his exploits with the national team were brought to the attention of school administrators who effectively threatened him with termination in 2018 should he ever represent Palestine again.<br />
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The inept PFA under the leadership of the well connected Jibril Rajoub weren't bothered by this development which is what gave us Khaled Salem as a center back in 2015 and Musab Al-Battat in the same position in 2019.<br />
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Dheeb started his national team career on the fringes under Mousa Bezzaz but it was Jamal Mahmoud who entrusted him with the task of marshaling the defence at the 2011 Pan Arab Games. That tournament saw Palestine finish in fourth place. In 2013, the Majd Al-Kurum native played a crucial, but oft overlooked, role in getting Palestine to the 2015 Asian Cup. With the national team shorn of its best foreign based players, Dheeb the lone goal to give Palestine a crucial victory over Bangladesh in 2014 Challenge Cup qualifying.<br />
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The center back's dominance is summed up in one simple stat. In the 34 matches he appeared in- Palestine kept a whopping 19 clean sheets.<br />
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<b>Abdallah Jaber </b><br />
<i>Stats: 56 caps, 56 starts, 2 goals, 4 assists</i><br />
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When it's all said and done, Abdallah Jaber will hold every single record. At just 26 years of age, he has already led the national to two Asian Cup qualifications and played every minute in the finals.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fl5eRKKtTXQ/WD77bx-vS0I/AAAAAAAAH-k/m4B5pKJuBFABvTMg8h1GP3kktXlqXy4UQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/w3-honda-a-20150113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fl5eRKKtTXQ/WD77bx-vS0I/AAAAAAAAH-k/m4B5pKJuBFABvTMg8h1GP3kktXlqXy4UQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/w3-honda-a-20150113.jpg" width="320" /></a>It's perhaps best to think of the national team in terms of before and after Abdallah Jaber. The Tayibe native not only solved a problem for the national team he turned it into a strength. Palestine's left flank had been exploited by teams for years and when he made his debut in May 2014 those problems suddenly disappeared. A mainstay, he has missed only eight games since making his debut against Kyrgyzstan.<br />
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Six months later, he was lined up against the best Asian player in the world- Keisuke Honda and despite his inexperience and youth did not put a foot wrong and even showed courage in getting up and down the flank.<br />
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<b>Tamer Seyam</b><br />
<i>Stats: 40 caps, 30 starts, 6 goals, 12 assists</i><br />
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Palestine's all-time leader in assists has always flown under the radar as a wide player- he isn't Palestine flashiest player or its fastest or its most talked about. That said, he is by far and away its most effective- Seyam may not produce a dozen mazy runs a game but he is always capable of magic- a banging free kick, a defence splitting pass, or a spark that helps raise the collective spirit of the team.<br />
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Since making his debut in 2014 he has become incrementally better with each passing year that it is sometimes easy to forget that he was a part of that famous Challenge Cup squad. Thankfully for Seyam and fans of Palestinian football his talents did not go unnoticed and he's been carving a nice club career for himself as a member of HUSA Agadir in Morocco's top tier.<br />
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<b>Ashraf Nu'man </b><br />
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<i>Stats: 45 caps, 35 starts, 12 goals, 2 assists. </i><br />
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Under the auspices of Jamal Mahmoud, Ashraf Nu'man was simply unplayable- a combination of his sheer force of will to decimate opponents and a manager giving him a platform to do just that. His time with Al-Faisaly in Jordan score nine times in 13 games before moving on to Al-Faisaly of Saudi Arabia where he hit double figures across all competitions in his maiden season. The consensus opinion on the Bethlehem native was that he was one of the best- if not the best- players in the Saudi League not playing for one of the Big Four.<br />
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There should have been more to Ashraf Nu'man's story but when he should have been at the peak of his powers things went in an unexpected direction. Two uncharacteristic misses in 2015 were a harbinger of things to come. He was one-on-one against Jalal Hassan in Palestine's final game of the 2015 Asian Cup encounter and shot wide costing Palestine their best chance at an equaliser. 10 months later in almost the exact same spot- with the chance to give Palestine a famous win against Saudi Arabia- he shot wide <i>again. </i>There would be a handful of appearances in 2016 but he would never recover that form.<br />
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Despite his unfulfilled potential, it was Ashraf Nu'man who put Palestine on his back in May 2014 assisting or scoring every single goal en route to Palestine's maiden Asian Cup qualification.<br />
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<b>Jonathan Cantillana </b><br />
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<i>Stats: 25 caps, 17 starts, 10 goals, 4 assists</i><br />
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For sheer efficiency, it's hard to find a player more effective in the attacking third than Jonathan Cantillana Zorilla. In 25 appearances (17 starts), the Santiago born midfielder has 10 goals and four assists to his name. A famous goal against Iran in a 1-1 draw just before the 2019 Asian Cup was a false dawn as his lack of professionalism was exposed. Two yellow cards meant he missed the final game against Jordan but throughout the tournament he was not at his best.<br />
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The hope is that his latest move to the Indonesian league will allow him to rediscover his best form (he has assisted three goals in 13 appearances for PSIS Semarang, thus far). Palestine fans will remember his wild celebrations when he opened the scoring against Malaysia and the famous opening goal against Oman. A player with Copa Libertadores experience while at Palestino, Jonathan should be at the peak of his powers. At just 27, he's well capable of providing more moments of magic in the next decade.<br />
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<b>Mohammed Darweesh</b><br />
<i>Stats: 38 caps, 36 starts, 1 assist</i><br />
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An unsung hero but one only needs to look at the state of Palestine's midfield at the 2015 Asian Cup to see how important Mohammed Darweesh is and will continue to be. The midfielder's contribution to the national team cannot be measured in goals or assists but in terms of distance covered and duels won.<br />
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Palestine have been a reactive and defensive team since his debut and it is his work rate that has allowed Palestine to garner results against more established teams. This has especially been the case under the super reactive and tactically bereft Noureddine Ould Ali. The herculean efforts of the Fureidis native are so impressive that he has almost singlehandedly helped lend an air of respebatiblitly to a manger out of his depth.<br />
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<b>Imad Zatara </b><br />
<i>Stats: 19 caps, 15 starts, 2 goals</i><br />
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One of only two names on this list not to have played at an Asian Cup finals. That said, he played a key role in getting Palestine to the first one in 2015 and was a key player in the 1-0 win over Philippines that clinched qualification.<br />
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Zatara made his debut as a 20 year old way back in 2004 and became only the fifth Palestine player to score on his debut- a 4-1 loss to Iraq in 2006 World Cup qualifying. Over the next two years the prodigious talent would become a mainstay for the national team and then, inexplicably, he went off the radar for five years.<br />
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He was not the only one- the ineptitude of Rajoub's first years in charge of the PFA saw the national team shorn of some of its best players for no particular reason. Roberto Kettlun, Edgardo Abdala, Bruno Pesce, Omar Jarun, and Roberto Bishara were all either frozen out or under utilised in the latter portion of the past decade.<br />
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Zatara was young enough to make a comeback and he was back with a bang in 2011, scoring a crucial equaliser against Libya at the Pan Arab Games en route to a fourth place finish at the tournament. He also scored in the following year's 2012 WAFF Championship and featured at the 2012 Arab Nations Cup as well as the 2014 WAFF Championship. The tricky winger's presence helped resuscitate the national team at a crucial time and he capped it off with an elder statesman role in 2015/16 during Abdel Nasser Barakat's reign.<br />
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One cannot talk about the Stockholm native's career without mentioning his success in multiple leagues around the world. In Sweden, he scored in the Swedish third, second, and first tier. When he finally reached the Allsvenskan he made his presence felt in a big way. In half a season with Atvidabergs in 2012 he notched 9 goals- making him the second top scorer that season.<br />
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Zatara was the first Palestinian to play professionally in Hungary, France, and Iran-scoring in all three countries. For good measure, he also scored in stints in the Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.<br />
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<b>Yashir Islame </b><br />
<i>Stats: 19 caps, 16 starts, 7 goals</i><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgtEwE5KLBs/WEbzIMFOsnI/AAAAAAAAIEc/lgInPGD6U1Ud_-s18WkVgkE4iLlxCKxkACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/247635222973045999200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgtEwE5KLBs/WEbzIMFOsnI/AAAAAAAAIEc/lgInPGD6U1Ud_-s18WkVgkE4iLlxCKxkACPcBGAYYCw/s320/247635222973045999200.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><br /></b>Since the retirement of Ziyad Al-Kord, Palestine have lacked a clinical finisher with the ability to convert chances on a regular basis. There was a fleeting moment where it seemed that Fahed Attal a revelation in 2006 would be that player but his ascendancy coincided with Palestinian Football sinking to new depths. Who would play striker plagued Palestine throughout most of the decade until March 2016. Enter <i>El Jeque (the Sheikh) </i>who promptly scored twice on his debut against Timor Leste, won a penalty kick on his third cap (3-3 v Tajikistan), and scored a winner on his fourth cap (1-0 v Yemen. Arguably no player did more to deliver Palestine Asian Cup qualification in 2017 with Islame scoring the winners against Oman and Bhutan.<br />
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A torn Achilles' tendon hampered the striker's progress with the national team but he did score a famous goal against Lippi's China in a November 2018 friendly. His strike rate- 7 in 19 (16 starts) is especially impressive when considering that the Islame has been victim of Ould Ali's tactical ineptitude deploying the striker as a winger and a number ten.<br />
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<b>MANAGER: Jamal Mahmoud</b><br />
There was a time not long ago that players called up to the national team had to show up with their own gear. Yes, national team training would be conducted with players wearing a smattering of different jerseys- some even wearing the colors of their favorite European club team. When Jamal Mahmoud entered the fray the national team was going nowhere and had just suffered their biggest ever defeat- 7-0- at the hands of Iran.<br />
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The former Wehdat maestro made his presence felt immediately- leading Palestine to a fourth place finish at the 2011 Pan Arab Games. His attempt to qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup fell at the first hurdle- losing to Korea DPR at the semifinal stage of the 2012 Challenge Cup. Despite the failure, the team went from strength to strength, securing a famous 2-2 draw at the Arab Nations Cup against a Frank Rijkaard led Saudi Arabia. Mahmoud is also the first manager to lead Palestine to victory at the WAFF Championships- beating Lebanon 1-0.<br />
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Not only did Mahmoud end his reign as the longest serving national team manager in terms of time and matches contested he also holds the records for most wins- 15 in 35. The same number of wins the national team had recorded in 83 matches- stretching back to 1998.<br />
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Jamal Mahmoud qualified a Palestine to a 16-team Asian Cup despite not having a single capable striker at his disposal during his tenure. Not only that, he handed debuts to Alexis Norambuena, Abdallah Jaber, Musa'b Al-Battat, Tamer Seyam, and an unofficial debut to Rami Hamadi. He also made bold changes- building his attack around Ashraf Nu'man and transforming him into one of the best players in Asia.<br />
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To put it simply, Palestine would not be where it is now where it not for the reign of Jamal Mahmoud.<br />
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<b><i>Also Receiving Votes: </i></b><br />
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Recency bias played a role in the exclusion of <b>Abdelhamid Abuhabib. </b>While everyone remembers Ashraf Nu'man's herculean effort in qualifying the team for the 2015 Asian Cup- Abuhabib gets fewer plaudits. Ashraf Nu'man got the national team through the knockout round of the Challenge<br />
Cup but Abdelhamid got the team through the group stage. A spectacular last minute goal against Kyrgyzstan set the stage. He followed that up with a goal at the stroke of halftime against Myanmar. He also set up Ashraf Nu'man's second goal against Afghanistan in the semifinal. The knock against Abuhabib? He lacked the endurance to go the full 90 minutes at international level. Of his 34 caps, only 20 were starts and after a spectacular 2014 he faded into obscurity when he should have been entering his prime. Despite only being 30 years old, Abuhabib is firmly rooted in Palestine's achievements in the first half of this decade. <br />
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There are some contributions to the national team that could not fit into a Starting XI. For one, <b>Oday Dabbagh</b> only made his national team debut last year and although his prodigal talent was recognised by the voters his contribution to the senior team has been too limited to really merit consideration. That said, Dabbagh has already registered signature performances with the Olympic Team- leading them to the quarterfinals of the AFC U23 Championship in 2018. With the senior team, his ability has been inhibited by Noreddine Ould Ali's dour tactics but still has registered his moments in 2019- destroying Syria in the WAFF Championship and scoring a famous goal against Uzbekistan to open 2022 World Cup qualifying.<br />
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Then there are the players who had great careers but for a variety of circumstances were not in the national team setup during the apex of their powers. <b>Alexis Norambuena</b>'s debut in 2012 saw him provide some much needed stability to Palestine's defensive flanks. He also showed off a knack for getting involved in the attack with an assist to Eyad Abugharqud that resulted in the only goal against Lebanon in Palestine's first ever victory at a WAFF Championship. The bulk of Alexis's caps came after he had become one of the most established foreign players in the Polish Ekstraklasa and while he was solid he soon became second choice to Musab Al-Battat. In the tail end of his national team career he was being shoehorned into roles that did not fit him but when Alexis was on his game he was one of the best fullbacks ever to play for Palestine.<br />
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Also in the "we hardly knew thee" category is <b>Murad Alyan. </b>The man kept out of the national team because he was old had a fantastic debut as a 33 year old. A brace against Bangladesh in Challenge Cup qualifying 2011 ended a winless streak of 22 games that stretched for five years. After a scoreless draw against Philippines. Alyan scored another brace against Myanmar as Palestine registered their first ever come from behind victory. It would not be the last brace of his career- he scored twice against Thailand in World Cup qualifying nearly advancing Palestine to the penultimate group stages.<br />
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Having received the entirety of his nine caps in one calendar year- voters decided that other players were more worthy of being in an all-decade team. Alyan, however played a key and understated role in rescuing and re-establishing the national team after years of neglect and mismanagement.<br />
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<b>Husam Abu Saleh </b>much like Alyan and Alexis never played for Palestine at the height of his powers. He was the first Palestinian player to play in the UEFA Cup as a apart of the Sakhnin side that won the State Cup but that was a full six years before he made his debut for the national team. That said, his 47 caps are tied for sixth most in national team history and he was an integral part of the side that qualified for the 2015 Asian Cup.<br />
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Speaking of the 2015 Asian Cup, <b>Jaka Ihbeisheh</b> is still the only Palestinian player to score at Asia's showpiece event. It is undeniably one of the seminal moments of the past decade and Ihbeisheh followed that up by leading the side to qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup. While many will recall his dominant performances against Malaysia and Timor Leste, he often was the unknown soldier on the pitch in games when Palestine were outgunned and out possessed- Palestine's best World Cup qualifying campaign to date was the result of his tireless running against UAE in Al-Ram.</div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7584804971526929150.post-5291870100665188832019-12-05T12:50:00.003+08:002020-05-27T14:14:50.051+08:00Palestinians Abroad: Oday Dabbagh moves to Kuwaiti powerhouse Al-Qadsia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In a truly unexpected move, Oday Dabbagh is on the move again after just three months with Al-Salmiya. The surprise transfer was announced by his new club, Al-Qadsia, on their official social media channels late last night.<br />
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Dabbagh's performances with the Palestine national team and Salmiya in the last six months have given Al-Qadsia enough proof of his ability.<br />
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Al-Qadsia was the launching pad for Syrian star Omar Al-Somah's career who played there for three seasons before joining Al Ahli Jeddah. Dabbagh is ahead of Al-Somah's development curve having just turned 21 years old he already has 4 goals and 2 assists to his name in over 20 appearances with the national team. He also is Palestine's all-time leading scorer at the AFC Cup and notched 40 league goals with Hilal Al-Quds before moving to Kuwait.<br />
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Omar Al-Somah a year older when he made his move to the Kuwaiti Premier League and had not yet fully established himself as a Syria international.<br />
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Dabbagh departs Al-Salmiya having played in two league games, scoring one goal. He also featured in both Arab Champions Cup games against Iraqi side Al-Quwwa Al-Jawiyya.<br />
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The Jerusalemite is close to full health after breaking his collarbone in September.<br />
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Hilal Al-Quds refused to let the youngster move earlier this summer a move which necessitated the intervention of Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub.<br />
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As a result the WBPL champions missed an opportunity to include a clause that would have given them a portion of the transfer fee Al-Salmiya had received for him.<br />
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<i>Football Palestine </i>has learned that one of the conditions laid out for Dabbagh in his move abroad was a mandatory contribution of 20% of his salary to the PFA in the event his earnings eclipse $200,000 USD.<br />
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Al-Qadsia currently lie in second place in the Kuwaiti Premier League and will compete in the 2020 AFC Cup next year. </div>
Bassilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17022940213556876121noreply@blogger.com