August 20th, 2023: This Week in Palestinian Football
On the importance of mentality in building a successful national team
Before we get into the meat of this week’s newsletter let us catch up on some news concerning Palestinians Abroad.
Ataa Jaber and PFC Neftchi will not be playing in the UEFA Conference League Group Stage. A valiant effort in the first half saw Neftchi pull within one goal on aggregate. Jaber played the key pass that sprung the counterattack for Neftchi’s opening goal. Besiktas manager Senol Günes brought on reinforcement to start the second half and the Turkish side prevailed 2-1 and 5-3 on aggregate. SofaScore Rating: 7.0/10 // Highlights
Oday Dabbagh was one of Charleroi’s best players on the pitch but the quest for a first league win continues. The Zebras were better than fierce rivals Standard Liege but a goal against the run of play gave the away team a shock 1-0 lead at half time. Dabbagh thought he had equalized in the 76th minute after cleverly drifting into the box from the right wing and tucking home his teammate’s lofted pass. That goal was ruled out for offsides, though. Less than ten minutes later a VAR intervention showed that Dabbagh was impeded in the box which resulted in Liege going down to 10 men and conceding a penalty. Charleroi converted the spot kick to share the points with their bitter rivals. SofaScore Rating: 7.5/10 // Highlights
On the Move
Saleh Chihadeh and Muhamed Alghoul have new clubs (see below) and there could be even more movement before the transfer window closes. Palestine’s starting centerback pair are both out of contract after Mohammed Saleh terminated his contract with Ittihad Alexandria. The defender’s deal was valid through 2025 but if rumors are to believed there are offers from teams in Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, and Malta interested in securing his signature. Yaser Hamed Mayor was in contact with his boyhood club Athletic Bilbao earlier this summer and recently told The Arab News that he is listening to “offers from all countries” and will remain in Qatar until his future is decided.
Saleh Chihadeh returns to SC Kriens
Earlier this week, FC Rapperswill Jona announced that the club had reached a mutual agreement to terminate the contract of Saleh Chihadeh less than a month after the striker originally signed for the club.Paid Subscribers get access to an exclusvie weekly newsletter, video content, and interviews with Palestine NT players. Subscribe now for a chance to …
Muhamed Alghoul signs for Keflavik IF
Former Croatia U20 international Muhamed Alghoul has signed a short term deal with Icelandic side Keflavik IF.Football Palestine is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Mentality: An overlooked element in international football
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