SOCCER-PALESTINIANS Palestinian territories come together in rare soccer match

Record ID: 144581

  • Title: SOCCER-PALESTINIANS Palestinian territories come together in rare soccer match
  • Date: 6th August 2015
  • Summary: ONE OF AL-AHLY MANAGERS, RAMZI SIYAJ, TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ONE OF AL-AHLY MANAGERS, RAMZI SIYAJ, SAYING: "We are with our brothers in Gaza, our people. We consider all of them as fans of our (team). Whether winning or losing, we already won by coming to Gaza." VARIOUS OF FANS DURING MATCH EXTERIOR OF STADIUM
  • Embargoed: 21st August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Gaza
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3UF0QSY9FHHDM0T1EHT1YVWDY
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Palestinians, long riven by geography and factional feuding, enjoyed a rare show of unity on Thursday (August 6) in a soccer match that brought together teams from their two territories.
    Al-Ahly, the top team in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, travelled to the Gaza Strip to face off with the coastal enclave's champion Shejaia - the first such visit since the eruption in 2000 of a Palestinian uprising against Israel.
    The game ended in a goal-less draw - a welcome stalemate for people more used to deadlocked efforts to heal internal rifts from a 2007 civil war between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's long-dominant Fatah faction and rival Hamas Islamists.
    Abbas and Hamas formed a unity government last year, but divisions remain. Hamas retains de facto control of Gaza, where last year it fought a war with Israel that sowed devastation in crowded districts such as Shejaia. The U.S.-backed Abbas holds sway in the West Bank, coordinating security and conducting stop-start peace negotiations with Israel.
    "Today represents that the Palestinian will in sports defeated the Israeli occupier in front of the international community, in the Congress meeting in FIFA. Today's (victory) delivers a message to the world that these people (Palestinians) want to live in freedom in their homeland, and want to live in order to play soccer, and be able to move between Palestinian cities," said Abdel-Salem Haniyeh of the Palestinian Higher Council of Sport.
    Some 7,000 fans packed Gaza's Yarmouk stadium, which was decked with Palestinian national flags. More than 1,000 security men from the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza kept order.
    The teams will compete again for the Palestine Cup on Sunday in the West Bank city of Hebron, and the winners will play in the next Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.
    "Of course if the Shejaia team wins, than this would be a step forward for them, but no matter who wins in this match, Palestine is winner. If the winner was a Shejaia team or Al-Ahly Hebron team, (the winner) would represent Palestine at the international forums, and we will support whoever wins, and we wish good luck to both teams," said Akram Hajjaj, one of Shejaia's managers.
    Jibril Al-Rajoub, chairman of the Palestinian Football Federation, said he planned to form a joint league for Gaza and the West Bank.
    "From day one, I made clear that sport has nothing to do with division," Rajoub told Reuters.
    At the annual FIFA Congress in May, Palestine threatened to call for a vote for Israel's suspension from world football but it dropped its motion at the last minute and FIFA agreed to send observers to monitor the situation.
    The PFA has complained that Israel restricts the movement of players and officials to and from the Palestinian territories. The teams moving between the territories for Thursday's and next week's games did so with Israeli permission.
    "We are with our brothers in Gaza, our people. We consider all of them as fans of our (team). Whether winning or losing - we already won by coming to Gaza," one of Al-Ahly managers, Ramzi Siyaj, said.
    Al-Ahly, which has an Italian coach, Stefan Cusin, appeared more vigourous on Thursday. Though disadvantaged by a lack of sports kit, a shortage typical of a Gaza Strip under Israeli and Egyptian embargoes, Shejaia fended off the visiting team.
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