The Palestine football team hopes to reach the knockout stages of the Asian Cup for the first time. A player included in the team says, “This will bring a smile on the faces of the Palestinian people.”
The Asian Cup football tournament is being held in Qatar at a time when Israeli attacks on Gaza continue. Palestinian captain Musab al-Batat knows that the team’s performance means more than just a game of football.
A day before their opening match against Iran, Batat said, ‘We as players are part of the Palestinian people and are going through the same difficulties that people are facing.’
He added: ‘We want this (aggression) to end soon and for us to have an extraordinary tournament so that we can bring smiles to the faces of the Palestinian people.’
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 23 thousand 843 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. Some Palestinian players have also lost their loved ones in this conflict.
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Palestine has played the Asian Cup twice before but has not managed to win either match so far.
The coach of the Palestinian team, Makram Dabob, says that the Palestinian players hope to perform amazingly despite the difficult conditions.
“We have a good squad,” said the player from Tunisia. Our team is ready and we hope to perform to make our fans and people happy.’
“We want to be in the last 16 (of the knockout stage). Our people have the right to be happy. We are playing for them.’
Group C also features Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout rounds.
“Our team has the potential to make it to the last 16 and maybe go even further,” said Dabob.
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