January 7th, 2024: This Week in Palestinian Football

T-Minus 7 days until Palestine's Asian Cup opener against Iran. Plus an update on Wessam Abou Ali's move to Egyptian giants Al-Ahly.

It is with a heavy heart that we must again start this week’s newsletter hilighting a death in the Palestinian sporting community. Hadi Al-Masdar was killed earlier today as a consequence of Israel’s ungoing genocide in Gaza. Hadi Al-Masdar was the Olympic Team’s general manager and was part of Ihab Al-Jazzar’s staff. Just this year, Al-Masdar was with the squad in Iraq, Algeria, Bahrain, and China helping coach the next generation of talents.

The Palestine Football Association stated that Al-Masdar was injured by shrapnel that was fired from an Israeli missile upon his home in Central Gaza on Saturday morning.

Al-Masdar was a mainstay of football in Gaza for nearly two decades. He retired in 2018 to further his career as a coach.

Football Palestine’s thoughts and prayers are with Hadi Al-Madar’s immediate and sporting family during this difficult time.

Now more than ever, UEFA and FIFA should move to ban Israel from participating in international competition. If you agre- please sign DiEM25’s petition, here.

Daboub selects his squad as plans come into focus

After many weeks with nothing to report on the news came in thick and fast with the arrival of the new year. An update on what you might have missed during that time:

• Mohammed Yameen had a tantrum after not playing against Auslralia in World Cup qualifying.

• There are tensions between the coaching staff and Mohammed Saleh that could cost him a spot in the Asian Cup Squad.

• Saleh Chihadeh’s was handed a six month suspension after appealing the punishment doled out to him for unilaterally voiding his contract with Future FC- costing him the chance to represent Palestine at the Asian Cup

• Ahmed Mahajna was denied permission to travel to Qatar to join the national team by Hapoel Umm El Fahem chairman Mohammad Abu Al-Am.

Let’s delve deeper into what the squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup finals looks like

There were surprises in terms of inclusions and omissions but nothing was truly seismic in nature. The PFA released their squad earlier than they wanted to because of the tournament rules which mandate that the squad must be announced no less than ten days before the first match.

Palestine is, of course, within their rights to make changes up to six hours before the opening match against Iran. Those changes will be forthcoming in the nature of exclusions- rather than- additions. A goalkeeper will be sent home following the culmination of this week’s friendlies against Uzbekistan (January 7th) and Saudi Arabia (January 9th). The list of players in Qatar is as follows: