Palestine falls to Australia, but maintains hopes of going to the 2026 World Cup
▲ Given the crisis that the Palestinians are experiencing, the representative seeks to give his fans the joy of attending a World Cup for the first time. Ap Photo
From the editorial staff
La Jornada Newspaper
Wednesday, June 12, 2024, p. a12
Despite the defeat, the Palestine soccer team continues its search for a ticket to attend a World Cup for the first time. They lost to Australia 5-0, but remain as the two national teams that lead their group, which is why both advanced to the third round of the Asian qualifiers, whose stages 4 and 5 will be decisive in granting direct passes to the teams. eight teams that will attend the World Cup and one more for the playoffs.
Playing provides an opportunity to raise the name of Palestine to the entire world, and the World Cup is the biggest platform for this, midfielder Mohammed Rashid said before the match. What is happening now affects us all. “You can’t help, but you feel affected by it,” he added.
In the midst of the horrific scene of devastation against the population in Gaza, now in its eighth month, Palestine seems inspired by this small step. It should be remembered that all sports facilities on the strip have been destroyed by bombing.
Rashid, the player who talks about the importance of this small incentive for his town, once worked as a forklift driver in a Chicago warehouse.
Fast forward to these dark times, Rashid and his teammates carry a greater weight knowing that success on the field offers a small respite from the intensifying destruction in Gaza. What doesn’t kill you makes you strong, he said before the game in Perth. We are here for a cause, a goal. Whoever is on the team must perform. There is no other way to see it.
Palestine, 93 in the ranking internationally, has never come close to reaching the World Cup via the qualifying route in the Asian Football Confederation. With the 2026 tournament expanding to 48 teams, and automatic berths in Asia doubling to eight, Palestine has a legitimate chance to make history.
Of course, (the World Cup) is a big dream. Everything is possible. There is a lot of hard work to do to get there.
Palestinian team leaders disapprove of unfounded questions about politics at press conferences. But the players are willing to engage in public conversations about the devastation in Gaza. More than 36,700 Palestinians have died, according to the Ministry of Health.
Rashid had a football scholarship at Illinois from 2013-17 before signing, a year later, in the Palestine Premier League.
While most members of the United Nations do not recognize Palestine as a country, including the United States and Australia, the Palestinian Football Association became a full member of FIFA in 1998.
With information from Ap
2024-06-12 10:20:50
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