World Cup Qualifiers: Palestine Football Team Shares What Upcoming Game Means After Losing Home Advantage Due to War
By Rolly Gacelo
(Photo : MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images) Palestinian supporters of the Argentina national football team celebrate at a sports hall where they watched a broadcast of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup final match after Argentina defeated France, in Gaza City on December 18, 2022.
The Palestine national football team has been great at home but that advantage will not be utilized for the due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Life in the eastern Mediterranean region has gone from bad to worse after Israel decided to pulverize Gaza as a retaliation to the attacks committed by terrorist group Hams against Tel Aviv's military and civilians.
Much of Palestine's territories have been burned down and for the country's national football team, this means losing their home-field advantage that they have enjoyed over the years.
They will meet Australia in their opener but it means have to for them to pull off a win.
First is the absence of fans and second is the mental and emotional toll the war has caused to several players.
"Players have been killed who might have gone on to play for the national team. The Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza has also been destroyed," said Palestinian football commentator and analyst Khalil Jadallah.
"The lack of a home-field advantage will have a huge effect on the squad against a strong team like Australia. [Palestine] will also need to find a way to overcome the mental struggles they have been dealing with during the war."
Changing meaning of football for Palestine
For striker Mahmoud Wadi, the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers game will be a good platform to uplift the spirit of their fellow Palestinians.
"Football helped me get out of Gaza and it's our responsibility to try and represent Palestine the best we can."
Right now, there is still no end in sight concerning the Israel-Gaza war and Palestinian football fans will not be able to watch their favorite game.
The national team vows to continue giving their fellowmen a amid the chaos.
"Football is one of very few platforms through which our youth can take pride in their national identity and show the rest of the world a Palestine that isn't normally seen," said Susan Shalabi, vice-president of the Palestine Football Association.
"So you see, in the world of football, Palestine has a status it has yet to achieve on the international world map; in football, the political division between the West Bank in the north and Gaza in the south does not exist."
