Palestinian Football Union to resume activities in September
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) - AFP - The Palestinian Football Association announced on Monday that it will resume its activities, suspended for more than three years due to the war in the Gaza Strip, in early September through a promotional tournament for clubs from various divisions.
Jibril Rajoub, the association’s president, said during a press conference held in Ramallah, “We announce the launch of sports activities and the football league anew starting from September 4.”
Sports activities in the Palestinian territories, including the professional football league, were halted following the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Palestinian Football Association named the upcoming tournament “The Cup of a Thousand Martyrs,” referring to the death of 1,014 Palestinian athletes during the war, according to its data.
The tournament will feature 226 clubs: 146 in the occupied West Bank, 44 in the Gaza Strip, and 36 clubs from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
The tournament will open simultaneously in the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon. The opening matches will see Jabal al-Mukaber face Shabab Al-Khalil at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in Al-Ram, north of Jerusalem; Shabab Rafah face Rafah Services in the Gaza Strip; and Al-Ansar face Al-Nahda in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon.
Rajoub noted that the war “has created difficult conditions for all Palestinians, leading to the suspension of our competitions and activities... but we have not lost our Palestinian national will, nor have we lost our belief that sport will remain a symbol of hope and life for Palestinians.”
Rajoub said the association is seeking a bank loan, to be repaid by the Palestinian government, amid difficult financial circumstances facing both the association and the clubs.
Earlier, the Palestinian Football Association issued a statement regarding the project proposed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, which aimed to bring private sector investors into its tournaments. The project was withdrawn following sharp criticism.
The association stated in its statement, “Many are today questioning FIFA’s commercial direction, and whether the most important assets of football should be treated as financial instruments. These are legitimate questions, but for Palestine, the issue is more fundamental.”
It added, “Our question is whether FIFA still has the courage to apply its regulations equally to everyone, without hesitation and without yielding to political pressure.”
The Palestinian Football Association is calling on FIFA to impose sanctions on Israeli clubs operating in West Bank settlements and to suspend the membership of the Israeli Football Association in light of the war in Gaza.
Rajoub, who also chairs the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and the Palestinian Olympic Committee, announced during the conference that a Palestinian sports delegation comprising 108 athletes, including 67 male and female players, will participate in the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, competing in 19 sports.
He also announced that the Palestinian national football team will participate in a friendly tournament in China in September, as preparation for the Asian Cup hosted by Saudi Arabia in January next year.
