‘We played for Gaza’: How Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team went from underdogs to champions

 ‘We played for Gaza’: How Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team went from underdogs to champions
When the U-20 West Asian Football Federation Championship kicked off last week, not much was expected from Palestine. (WAFA)
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Updated 15 April 2025
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‘We played for Gaza’: How Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team went from underdogs to champions

 ‘We played for Gaza’: How Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team went from underdogs to champions
  • Shock penalty shootout win over Jordan secures first U-20 West Asian Football Federation title

AMSTERDAM: When rank outsiders secure a victory they tend, often, to be of the moral variety. If victory is achieved it rarely ends up with an outsider advancing to the final match and lifting the trophy. 

On Saturday afternoon, Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team did just that. While Palestine’s senior men’s team has been punching above its weight for the past decade it has been an entirely different story for other teams in the program. 

Palestine has been absolutely abject in youth football. Since gaining admission to the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA in 1998, Palestine’s men’s and women’s teams have qualified for a single youth tournament, the U-23 Asian Cup.

The gaps have only widened for female sides as other countries in the region invested in the sector, leaving Palestine far behind neighbours Lebanon and Jordan. 

When the U-20 West Asian Football Federation Championship kicked off last week, not much was expected from Palestine. Jordan were seen as heavy favorites due to their home advantage and the absence of Lebanon, the only other side of note in the region. 

Palestine were expected to finish above Kuwait but behind Jordan and Syria in the four-team tournament. 

Preparation was anything but ideal with the team meeting only 48 hours before their first game. With football suspended throughout Palestine there was a heavy reliance on the diaspora to fill the gaps. Palestine’s squad featured players born in Sweden, Canada and the United States as well as professionals plying their trade in Chile and Egypt.

The tournament got off to the best possible start for Al-Fidai’yat, a 9-0 hammering of Kuwait set the stage, but a 3-0 loss to bitter rivals Jordan had the doubters circling the team. Many of the comments of the Palestine Football Association Facebook page were tinged with sexism while others demanded women’s football have its funding suspended. 

The nature of the loss was particularly frustrating for Palestine who showed an ability to compete with their more established rivals but were undone on a series of corner kicks and set pieces. 

Palestine emerged from Matchday 2 in good shape thanks to Syria’s narrower margin of victory against Kuwait. That result meant Palestine needed only a draw against the Qasioun Eagles to set up a rematch against Jordan in the final. 

A goalmouth scramble after an early corner kick was finished off by Narin Abu Asfar giving Palestine the lead against Syria. They looked the better side for much of the match but a late Syrian equalizer against the run of play in the 84th minute set up a grandstand finish. A series of corner kicks in the game’s dying seconds had fans fearing the worst but Palestine’s players held their nerve and saw the game out. 

A rematch against Jordan was on the cards. 

Palestine’s futility at the WAFF Championship is well documented. The senior men’s team has never advanced past the group stage of the regional tournament. The senior women’s team's greatest accomplishment was a second-place finish in 2014 in a four-team tournament in which they were battered 10-0 by champions Jordan. 

Palestine were not expected to put up much of a fight. After all, success in women’s football starts with investment, and Jordan has been the leading light in the region, punching above their weight in all age categories for both genders since the turn of the century. 

A cagey first half under the hot Aqaba sun ended scoreless, just as it did five days earlier. Manager Ahmed Hammad went to his bench and called on Selina Ghneim to change the match. 

The forward did just that, thumping home a header from Narin Abu Asfar’s corner to open the scoring. 

Jordan answered through a substitute of their own, Marah Abbas, who also scored off a corner kick. 

A penalty shootout was needed to settle the match, which ended 1-1. Typically, underdogs favor the lottery of the shootout, which increases their chances of victory considerably. There was just one problem for Palestine. Their goalkeeper Miraf Maarouf had broken her foot in warmups. 

Any doubt as to the imperious goalkeeper’s ability to perform injured and under pressure was immediately put to rest. Maarouf dove to her right and blocked Jordan’s first two attempts giving Palestine a lead in the shootout they would not relinquish. 

An embarrassing moment of confusion took place after captain Naomi Philips scored to make it 3-1 after three and a half rounds. Palestine’s players rushed on to the pitch to celebrate with Maarouf, who was imploring her teammates to clear the area because there was still a Jordanian kick to deal with. 

Jordan scored to force a fifth round of kicks but Miral Kassis did not feel the pressure. The FC Masar forward had to leave the team midway through the tournament due to club commitments. She had played in Egypt less than 24 hours before and arrived in Aqaba only on the day of the final. 

Her winning penalty came with a high dose of bravado, with the 19-year-old seeming to ask Celine Seif which side she wanted to be scored on. 

“Forget tactics and all that. We played for Gaza. We took care of organization (to correct mistakes from the first game) but the players fought to get the win,” Omar Barakat, the team’s assistant coach, told Arab News. 

Reaction from a fanbase starved of success has turned dramatically with snide and sexist comments conspicuously absent from recent comments.

“We are proud of ourselves because we play for Gaza. We play in the name of Palestine in the name of every mother that has lost her son, in the name of every martyr,” Malak Barakat told the media after the historic win. 

“My message is that this is only the start and you will be hearing more from us in the future.” 

Barakat might be right — she and several of her teammates have already made the jump to the senior team. 

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Chicago Bulls legend Toni Kukoc hails ‘phenomenal’ move to bring EuroLeague Final Four to Abu Dhabi 

Chicago Bulls legend Toni Kukoc hails ‘phenomenal’ move to bring EuroLeague Final Four to Abu Dhabi 
Updated 58 sec ago
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Chicago Bulls legend Toni Kukoc hails ‘phenomenal’ move to bring EuroLeague Final Four to Abu Dhabi 

Chicago Bulls legend Toni Kukoc hails ‘phenomenal’ move to bring EuroLeague Final Four to Abu Dhabi 
  • Only second time in EuroLeague history the Final Four will be taking place outside of Europe

ABU DHABI: On the 25th anniversary edition of the EuroLeague, the organization is widening its horizons by staging its Final Four in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

This is just the second time in EuroLeague history that the Final Four will be taking place outside of Europe, and given the games in the UAE capital have already sold out, it promises to be an unforgettable showcase of elite basketball.

The fight for European basketball’s ultimate prize tips-off at Etihad Arena on Friday evening, with Fenerbahce taking on defending champions Panathinaikos (7 p.m. local time), before Olympiacos square off with Monaco (10 p.m.).

Three-time EuroLeague Final Four MVP and three-time NBA champion Toni Kukoc is in town promoting the event, and he kicked-off his Friday with a friendly round of golf with UAE pro Ismail Sharif at Yas Acres Golf and Country Club.

Arab News caught up with the Croatian Chicago Bulls legend to discuss the EuroLeague’s debut in Abu Dhabi, his thoughts on the globalization of the game of basketball, and lots more.

Welcome back to Abu Dhabi. What do you think it means for the EuroLeague to take this unprecedented step and stage its Final Four in the Gulf region for the first time?

Like every other sport, you can’t call it European, you can’t mention it as a national thing. Every sport is global, so I think it’s great for the fans and you have fans all over the world. And for them to have a chance to see their favorite guys live and then get to the games and maybe get the chance to talk to them, get autographs and then take pictures, I think it’s awesome. I think it’s something special.

In my days, I was fortunate enough to play all over the world and you don’t actually know how many fans you have around the world until you meet them. And playing for the Bulls for a long time, we had this one wall that they kept letters and pictures from around the world and it would really be amazing to see pictures from like Tibet or somewhere in Africa or somewhere in Russia or Australia being a Bulls fan.

So for them to get the chance to maybe see us play somewhere close to them was phenomenal. And I think it’s the same thing here. I don’t see why would (a) European League be just bound to be played over there if they have a chance to play here.

How do you see this globalization of basketball has impacted the sport?

Talking centuries ago back, you had maybe three or four powerhouses that you knew, they’re going to be in the semifinals and finals of the Olympics, of the World Championships, and things like that. But nowadays, if a national team has a good generation, they have a chance to win Olympics, to play in the finals of the World Championships. Which we saw in Paris last year. (The) France team almost beat (the) US. Serbia almost beat (the) US. So basketball got much closer, much better everywhere.

And I think it’s great for the game of basketball. It’s great for the fans. And it’s just a testament that a lot of guys are going to the NBA and trying to see how good they are.

When I went there, very few of us went there and we didn’t know if we’re going to be good enough to make it. Now people go there with the idea that they can be the MVPs, they can win championships, they can have a main role in their teams. So basketball just got way better.

You went from playing for Benetton Treviso in Italy to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA back in 1993. Was it easy for you to feel like you belonged there when you first arrived in the US?

We talked about that with the Yugoslavian national team, because a bunch of us, five, maybe six of us, got drafted by really good basketball teams.

So we’re talking the teams that were deep in the playoffs, the teams that were winning championships. Dino (Radja) was drafted by the Boston Celtics. Drazen (Petrovic) was drafted by Portland.

Vlade (Divac) was drafted by the (Los Angeles) Lakers. I was drafted by the Bulls. But we knew, because we played a few games against US junior teams during the World Games. So we had a chance to play against ... Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Gary Payton, the guys that became a future of the NBA, All-Stars, Hall-of-Famers. So comparing to our age, we knew that we were good enough. But you never know.

So once, let’s say, we broke that barrier and we went there and started playing for the teams and getting the minutes and getting into starting lineups and all that, we proved that the basketball is played everywhere, that everybody can play in the NBA.

Right now, guys are going over there, they get accepted right away, with the knowledge of how good of a player they are.

When I went to the Bulls, nobody but maybe Jerry Krause and one scout saw me and talked to me and then saw me play. Right now, you had a chance, for Luka Doncic, to see him as a 15-year-old because you can turn on YouTube and see all his games. So the other guys, and they have a better understanding (of) how good these players are. So they give them a chance right away as soon as they get there.

You were on a superstar Bulls team that had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. You played a selfless brand of basketball, and came off the bench to save the day in whichever role was needed on the day. You were extremely successful at that.

When you see now how there are big teams where the central star is European, do you imagine if you were playing now, would you have played a different style of basketball?  

Well, the style did change. I was maybe one of the first ones to do that style of play, the tall guy that can shoot threes, that can play outside. I learned actually to play a post up position in the NBA because my position was occupied by two not bad players, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. So I needed, in order to get my minutes, playing minutes, I had to learn how to play other positions.

But once I did that, it was really easy to implement me in because I can play any of five positions. So it’s perfect for the guys coming from Europe because the basketball is taught that way in Europe, that regardless of your height, you need to learn fundamentals of the game. The shoot, pass, dribble, play inside, outside.

I said that yesterday in some interview, if you can pick a team that you can have a point guard on each position, I would probably have Tony Parker being a point guard playmaker, then Luka Doncic or Drazen Petrovic, for that matter, who is a two-guard playmaker. Maybe myself, maybe Giannis Antetokounmpo playing a point guard three position. Then you have Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki, the guys that can play point guard four position. And obviously, you can have Nikola Jokic or maybe Sabonis that can play a five position point guard. And I don’t know who can beat a team like that.

That’s why I say that the Bulls, at the time, it was my favorite and it still is my favorite offense, the triangle offense, because five guys can go everywhere on a court. They just have to know and be together and be synchronized. But especially when you get Michael, Scottie, Dennis, (Ron) Harper, myself, Steve (Kerr), Luke (Longley), when you have guys that understand and appreciate each other and they know their individual roles in a team, it was a pleasure to play.

No one has gone back-to-back in the NBA for a while now, since the (Golden State) Warriors in 2017 and 2018, and I’m just wondering if you look at the Chicago team you played on, the way you guys were able to dominate year after year; if you put them in today’s game, do you think they could dominate?

It’s hard. I mean, it’s hard because every year you have new young guys coming in. Maybe it’s easier these days to create a team that three guys want to play together, and they demand trades and they say, I just want to go here or I don’t want to go there.

And then, let’s say right now, there’s a chance, for example, that LeBron leaves or stays, but Lakers get Jokic or Antetokounmpo, or both of them. Who’s going to beat that team? I mean, who has a chance to beat that team? Or, for example, Jokic goes to OKC (Oklahoma City Thunder). Who’s going to beat that team?

But at the same time, you have all these young guys, new guys. Again, if you bring Jokic to San Antonio and you put him with Victor Wembanyama, who’s going to beat that team? There are so many options, so many chances. I’m just glad that basketball is on that level, that it’s appreciated, that it’s nice to watch.

The players have been amazing. People were talking about how bad the season is, how the basketball is not really watchable, this and that. But whoever watches this year’s playoffs, has got to be more than happy with the games they saw.

Where do you think Giannis (Antetokounmpo) will end up if he leaves the Bucks?

I hope they all go to the Bulls. I would really, really love all of them to come to the Bulls.

I’m a part of the Bulls. I shouldn’t probably say that because I work for the Bulls, but it would be nice to see great basketball.


All eyes on Saudi Yelo League as promotion playoff drama begins

All eyes on Saudi Yelo League as promotion playoff drama begins
Updated 23 May 2025
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All eyes on Saudi Yelo League as promotion playoff drama begins

All eyes on Saudi Yelo League as promotion playoff drama begins
  • With Neom and Al-Najma already sealing their top-flight status via automatic promotion, four other clubs are set to battle for the third and final slot

RIYADH: The inaugural Yelo League playoffs kick off on Friday, bringing fresh excitement to the race for promotion to the Saudi Pro League.

With Neom and Al-Najma already sealing their top-flight status via automatic promotion, four other clubs are set to battle for the third and final slot in this newly introduced post-season format.

Al-Hazm, Al-Adalah, Al-Bukayriyah and Al-Tai have earned their playoff places after finishing third, fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively in the season standings.

Al-Tai stepped in for fourth-placed Al-Jabalain, who were disqualified for failing to meet the Roshn League’s club licensing criteria.

Al-Adalah face Al-Bukayriyah in Al-Ahsa, while Al-Hazm host Al-Tai in Al-Rass.

Both Al-Hazm and Al-Tai are aiming for immediate redemption, hoping to bounce straight back up to the SPL after suffering relegation at the end of the 2023–24 campaign.


Saudi-based Ivan Toney recalled to England squad by Tuchel

Saudi-based Ivan Toney recalled to England squad by Tuchel
Updated 23 May 2025
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Saudi-based Ivan Toney recalled to England squad by Tuchel

Saudi-based Ivan Toney recalled to England squad by Tuchel
  • Toney, who has scored 22 goals in 29 Pro League games for the Saudi champions, made the last of his six England appearances in the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain

LONDON: England manager Thomas Tuchel insists Ivan Toney “deserves” his surprise recall for the forthcoming internationals against Andorra and Senegal.
It is a first call-up for the 29-year-old since he left Brentford to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli last August.
Toney, who has scored 22 goals in 29 Pro League games for the Saudi champions, made the last of his six England appearances in the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain.
“Ivan deserves to be with us, I think, and I’m convinced because he scored over 20 goals this season,” Tuchel said.
“He won a major title with the Asian Champions League, in goals and assists made a huge contribution.
“I thought, why not bring him over and let him travel to us? It’s a good occasion now to also test new players, see new players, meet Ivan first and see him in the environment.”
Tuchel has also given a first senior call-up to Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah.
The Sierra Leone-born Chalobah has played 32 times for Chelsea this season as they chase Champions League qualification and target victory over Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday.
“He played a fantastic second half of the season with Chelsea. He is very, very consistent on a very high level,” Tuchel said.
Manchester City star Phil Foden was left out just days after opening up about his mental health struggles.
Foden, who is struggling with an ankle injury, revealed his mental state has suffered throughout a difficult season for the forward.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was selected despite reports that he needs surgery on a shoulder problem after the Club World Cup.
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher are among eight players in the squad who will also be involved in the Club World Cup in the United States.
England face Andorra in a World Cup qualifier in Barcelona on June 7 before a friendly with Senegal in Nottingham three days later.
The Club World Cup starts just five days after England’s second game of the international break.
“I could see the reasons for the players who go to the Club World Cup to maybe leave a bit earlier, to maybe change the squad,” Tuchel said.
“We had a good discussion over if we nominate the squad without Club World Cup players.
“Very quickly we understood that it’s also important for us. It’s only one year to go until the World Cup.
“So why send players away? We want to cherish and worship every day that we have together, and what signal will be sent to the group to send players away?“
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka are back in the international fold after injuries ruled them out of England’s wins over Albania and Latvia in World Cup qualifiers in March.
There was no place again for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, with Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke and West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen also left out.


Brighton leave out joint top-scorer Pedro from Spurs trip over training incident

Brighton leave out joint top-scorer Pedro from Spurs trip over training incident
Updated 23 May 2025
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Brighton leave out joint top-scorer Pedro from Spurs trip over training incident

Brighton leave out joint top-scorer Pedro from Spurs trip over training incident
  • Pedro did not play in Monday’s 3-2 win over champions Liverpool
  • “With Joao we had a small issue in training,” Huerzeler told reporters

LONDON: Brighton & Hove Albion will be without their joint top-scorer Joao Pedro when they visit Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, with manager Fabian Huerzeler saying the Brazil striker has been left out due to a “small issue in training.”

Pedro, who equals Danny Welbeck with 10 league goals this season, did not play in Monday’s 3-2 win over champions Liverpool, with a report by The Athletic later attributing the 23-year-old’s absence to an altercation he had with a teammate during training.

“With Joao we had a small issue in training, a type which isn’t uncommon from time to time in all football clubs. We dealt with it internally and the matter is closed,” Huerzeler told reporters on Friday.

“Joao is an incredible football player. He is a match winner for us. That’s why we invested in him. But there are principles, there are values... they are non-negotiable.

“Joao is still a young player, and (there’s) still a lot of potential that he will grow. I’m sure he’ll learn from this and come back stronger next season.”

Pedro last played for Brighton on April 19, when he was sent off for flicking his hand into Brentford defender Nathan Collins’ face during a 4-2 loss, an act which got him a three-match suspension for violent conduct.

With ninth-placed Brentford three points below Brighton, a draw at Spurs will ensure Huerzeler’s men finish eighth, which could earn them a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League provided some other results go their way.


Alexander-Arnold ‘deserves’ his part in Liverpool title party: Slot

Alexander-Arnold ‘deserves’ his part in Liverpool title party: Slot
Updated 23 May 2025
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Alexander-Arnold ‘deserves’ his part in Liverpool title party: Slot

Alexander-Arnold ‘deserves’ his part in Liverpool title party: Slot
  • Arne Slot said Trent Alexander-Arnold “deserves” to be part of Liverpool’s title celebrations despite revealing he was unhappy with the defender’s performances in training at the start of the season

LIVERPOOL: Arne Slot said Trent Alexander-Arnold “deserves” to be part of Liverpool’s title celebrations despite revealing he was unhappy with the defender’s performances in training at the start of the season.
The England international announced his decision to quit his boyhood club earlier this month and is widely expected to join Real Madrid.
He was booed by Liverpool fans when he came on as a second-half substitute in last week’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal at Anfield and did not play in the 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Monday.
Liverpool, who wrapped up the Premier League title last month with four games to spare, will be presented with the trophy after Sunday’s game against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.
Slot was asked by reporters on Friday whether he had concerns that the celebrations would be overshadowed by an negative reaction to Alexander-Arnold.
He said he had yet to make a decision on the extent of the right-back’s involvement.
“I haven’t decided on that one yet but I think this should be a day that everybody is going to enjoy,” Slot said.
“It’s been 35 years everybody is waiting for this moment.”
Liverpool lifted the 2020 Premier League trophy behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions.
Slot, in his first season at Anfield, said celebrations after Liverpool sealed the title against Tottenham were special.
“I’m hoping that we can add a moment like this to it and I think everybody that’s in this stadium deserves to be there, the fans, the staff, but also the players,” he said.
“One of my players is Trent so he definitely deserves to be there as well because he’s been part of an incredibly successful season and an incredibly successful (few) years at this club.”


While Slot hopes Alexander-Arnold gets a fond farewell from fans, the Dutchman was critical about the right-back’s efforts in training during his early weeks as Liverpool manager.
“He’s going to leave either way so maybe it’s already a first gift I can give Xabi (Alonso, expected to be the new Real Madrid manager),” he said.
“But I wasn’t completely happy with every single minute how he was on the training ground. So, in my opinion, in certain moments he could do a bit more, to say it mildly.
“I said to him ‘You are a much better defender than everybody tells you, but unfortunately you don’t show it all the time’.”
Slot said he told Alexander-Arnold, 26, that if he was focused there were not many players that could go past him because he is “fast, he’s agile, he has a great mentality.”
“It’s about showing it every single game, because in this world we are judged not only on the 34 games we do well, we are mainly judged on the four games that we don’t do so well,” he said.