Our friends who operate the Palestine national football team facebook page recently sat down with Atvidaberg and National Team midfielder Imad Zatara. The Stockholm-born Zatara fielded questions from the fans; below is a translated transcript of the responses:
Q: Will you play at the upcoming WAFF Championship in December?
A: Yes, if I am called up, I will play and I hope we can have a successful run in the tournament.
Q: Have you ever considered playing in the WBPL?
A: First, allow me to say that I think the WBPL is a professional league because the players get paid monthly wages. That is in essence professionalism. I would consider playing in the WBPL but I think it is better for me to stay in Europe because of the competitiveness of the teams and leagues here, though I could see myself playing in the WBPL in the future.
Q: Can you describe the feeling you got when you earned your first cap?
A: It was a great moment for me, and a beautiful feeling made even more special by scoring a goal against Iraq.
Q: You went almost six years without playing for the national team, can you explain why this happened?
A: I had some differences with management and I felt like I was treated poorly. That said, there is a new administration and I have been playing well- so I am quite pleased.
Q: How did you feel after scoring the tying goal against Libya [in the 2011 Pan Arab Games]?
A: It was the greatest moment of my life, it was an important game and my goal helped the national team advance to the knockout phase of the tournament.
Q: Real Madrid or FC Barcelona?
A: I cheer for Barcelona
Q: What was your best match with the national team?
A: I would have to pick the games against Libya and Sudan in the 2011 Pan Arab Games. The game against Libya because we tied the game with our never say die attitude and the game against Sudan because we won and put in a good performance with same approach.
Q: What’s the difference between playing for your club side and playing for the national team?
A: The talent level is about the same. There might be slightly more talent on the national team but the biggest difference is that in Europe players tend to make better decisions in regards to setting the tempo and tactical decisions.
Q: Your best friend on the national team?
A: Everybody on the team is a friend and companion.
Q: What team do you wish you could face as a member of the national team?
A: Brazil’s Selecão, of course!
Q: Which club side do you dream of playing for?
A: FC Barcelona
Imad, thanks for taking the time to sit with us today.
A: Thanks to you all and Eid Mubarak.
