‘Palestinian Pele’ killed
Suleiman al-Obeid, the Palestinian Pele’, was killed last August while queuing for humanitarian aid. He had played football for the Palestine national team since 2007 and scored more than 100 goals.
The Palestine Football Association (PFA) said the number of footballers killed or who died from starvation has reached 421,’ adding that 288 sports facilities, from stadiums and training grounds to gyms and clubhouses, have been made rubble across the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Palestine’s football team, the Fedayeen – holy warriors – plays above its weight. Currently it stands 95 out of 210 in world rankings; in 2017-18 it rose to 78th – higher than Israel.
Palestine was on the verge of playing to qualify for this year’s world cup when Israel’s onslaught began. The team could not use its West Bank stadium but had to play home games in Amman, Jordan – without its Gaza teammates, whom Israel prevented from leaving.
Palestine plays in the Asian division of world football division, unlike Israel which plays in the European.
They still did well, beating Qatar, the Asian division champions, and reaching the third of five elimination rounds of matches.
It was only by one goal that Palestine did not reach the fourth round. They were winning 1-0 in the seventh minute of extra time, when opponents Oman were awarded a controversial penalty. The 1-1 final score put Palestine out.
