They did not play at home properly, but the Palestinian footballers felt as if they were in the Jaber Al-Ahmad stadium in Kuwait, full of their country’s flags, on Tuesday, even if they could not avoid defeat against Australia ( 1-0) in a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup.
Five days after their first match since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which was already emotional and ended in a 0-0 draw against Lebanon, in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), the Palestinian team “hosted” in its house. time of the Australian team more than 1,200 kilometers from the conflict that occurred in the Gaza Strip.
And at the huge venue that is often used to host Kuwait national team matches, thousands of spectators, wearing black and white kufiyas and waving red, black, green and white flags, came to support the Palestinian footballers.
Banners with the slogan “Free Gaza” and pictures of keys were also seen, symbolizing the homes lost to Palestinians during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
“Palestine is in our hearts. We came to the stadium, young and old, to show our support,” Anfal Al-Azmi, a 45-year-old Kuwaiti, told AFP.
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“The result of the match is very important to us. We came to deliver a message,” said Wael Youssef Labbad, 40, a Palestinian from Ashkelon.
Not all fans are of Palestinian origin, many are from other communities in that oil-rich Gulf nation.
“Kuwait and Palestine are one. Today, we are the guests of Palestine in their land,” said Ahmed Al-Anezi, a 36-year-old Kuwaiti.
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The match was to be played in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, but the war, which began six weeks ago, changed the course of events for the team.
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