Dubai: It’s been a long and winding road to the Asian Cup for Nazmi Albadawi and Yashir Islame, two players whose contrasting journeys prove how the sprawling, global Palestinian diaspora might have lost control of their homeland, but they will never lose touch with their roots.
The ‘Lions of Canaan’ have the most diverse dressing-room at the tournament. In amongst the Palestinian locals there’s a Swede, a Slovenian, a few Chileans, an Argentinian, an American and an Algerian coach. But as Islame says, when they come together, they are one family.
An increased focus on the ‘recruitment’ of players with Palestinian ancestry was the key to assembling a talented squad for their second consecutive Asian Cup. But after they were cast as the feel-good story at the 2015 tournament in Australia, Albadawi and Islame are no longer content with Palestine just making up the numbers.
Only admitted as a FIFA member in 1998, Palestine are making incredible progress in football despite their eternal struggle as a stateless nation. Playing matches at home is naturally fraught with danger and the restrictions imposed on movement in and out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip means bringing their best players together is never easy.
Read the article by Vince Rugari in The Sydney Morning Herald.