Palestine’s league will kick-off in earnest on September 2nd- a day when most other leagues in the world have shut down whilst their players are away on international duty. Not really a surprise, football in Palestine tends to be markedly different- how many leagues still prohibit foreign players?
Strangely enough we still do not know when the preseason tourney- The Yasser Arafat Cup- will wrap up. It is likely that we will have midweek football in Palestine for the first three weeks of the season as a consequence of the hastily organized friendly against Indonesia.
The identity of the two other semifinalists to join Shabab Al-Dhahrieh and Thaqafi Tulkarem will be determined in the next round of matches. Defending champions Tarji Wadi Al-Nes look safe but could mathematically be eliminated with a heavy defeat at the hands of Merkaz Shabab Al-Am’ary. Shabab Al-Khaleel won’t be in action in Week 5 but will be hoping for a result to send them to the semifinals.
As for the league proper, dates and times have only been included for the first three weeks of the season. This gives the PFA the opportunity to put the league on an impromptu hiatus should an opportunity to play a friendly comes along. The first nine weeks of the leagues look like this:
Week 1
(02/09/11)
Shabab Al-Khaleel vs. Tarji Wadi Al-Nes // (1700) // Venue: Al-Hussein
Al-Bireh vs. Balata // (1700) // Venue: Majed As’ad
Al-Dhahrieh vs. Merkaz Tulkarem // (1700) // Venue: Dora
Thaqafi Tulkarem vs. Al-Am’ary // (1700) // Venue: Nablus
Hilal Al-Quds vs. Jabal Al-Muakber // (1700) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Week 2
(09/09/11)
Shabab Al-Khaleel vs. Al-Bireh // (1700) // Venue: Al-Hussein
Balata vs. Al-Dhahrieh // (1700) // Venue: Nablus
Jabal Al-Muakber vs. Thaqafi Tulkarem // (1700) // Venue: Al-Khadr
(10/09/11)
Merkaz Tulkarem vs. Al-Am’ary // (1700) // Venue: Nablus
Tarji Wadi Al-Nes vs. Hilal Al-Quds // (1700) // Venue: al-Khadr
Week 3
(16/09/11)
Tarji Wadi Al-Nes vs. Al-Bireh // (1700) // Venue: Al-Khadr
Al-Dhahrieh vs. Shabab Al-Khaleel // (1700) // Venue: Dora
Al-Am’ary vs. Balata // (1700) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
(17/09/11)
Jabal Al-Mukaber vs. Merkaz Tulkarem // (1700) // Venue: Al-Khadr
Hilal Al-Quds vs. Thaqafi Tulkarem // (1700) // Venue: Nablus
Week 4 (TBA)
Al-Bireh vs. Al-Dhahrieh // (TBA) // Venue: Majed As’ad
Shabab Al-Khaleel vs. Al-Am’ary // (TBA) // Venue: Al-Hussein
Balata vs. Jabal Al-Mukaber // (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Hilal Al-Quds vs. Merkaz Tulkarem// (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Thaqafi Tulkarem vs. Tarji Wadi Al-Nes // (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Week 5 (TBA)
Tarji Wadi Al-Nes vs. Al-Dhahrieh // (TBA) // Venue: Dora
Al-Bireh vs. Merkaz Al-Am’ary // (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Balata vs. Hilal Al-Quds // (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Jabal Al-Mukaber vs. Shabab Al-Khaleel// (TBA) // Venue: Al-Khadr
Thaqafi Tulkarem vs. Merkaz Tulkarem // (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Week 6 (TBA)
Al-Am’ary vs. Al-Dhahrieh // (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Al-Bireh vs. Jabal Al-Mukaber // (TBA) // Venue: Majed As’ad
Tarji Wadi Al-Nes vs. Merkaz Tulkarem// (TBA) // Venue: Al-Khadr
Hilal Al-Quds vs. Shabab Al-Khaleel// (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Thaqafi Tulkarem vs. Balata// (TBA) // Venue: TBA
Week 7 (TBA)
Tarji Wadi Al-Nes vs. Al-Am’ary // (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Jabal Al-Mukaber vs. Al-Dhahrieh // (TBA) // Venue: Al-Khadr
Al-Bireh vs. Hilal Al-Quds // (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Thaqafi Tulkarem vs. Shabab Al-Khaleel// (TBA) // Venue: Al-Hussein
Balata vs. Merkaz Tulkarem // (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Week 8 (TBA)
Al-Am’ary vs. Jabal Al-Mukaber // (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Al-Dhahrieh vs. Hilal Al-Quds// (TBA) // Venue: Dora
Al-Bireh vs. Thaqafi Tulkarem // (TBA) // Venue: Majed Al-As’ad
Merkaz Tulkarem vs. Shabab Al-Khaleel// (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Balata vs. Tarji Wadi Al-Nes // (TBA) // Venue: Al-Khadr
Week 9 (TBA)
Tarji Wadi Al-Nes vs. Jabal Al-Mukaber // (TBA) // Venue: Al-Khadr
Hilal Al-Quds vs. Merkaz Al-Am’ary // (TBA) // Venue: Faisal Al-Husseini
Thaqafi Tulkarem vs. Al-Dhahrieh // (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Merkaz Tulkarem vs. Al-Bireh // (TBA) // Venue: Nablus
Shabab Al-Khaleel vs. Balata // (TBA) // Venue: Al-Hussein
