We often spend time scouring the internet for news on the national team. Kooora.com has a page dedicated to professional players abroad, a number of them have played for the national team but the vast majority have not. Many of the names are familiar to the followers of Palestinian Football bound to come up in any discussion of foreign-based players, others are intriguing prospects that haven’t been mentioned or approached by officials from the PFA. Here is a list we compiled in order to better serve our readers. For your viewing pleasure we’ve taken it upon ourselves to eliminate those who have rejected or would reject an approach from the PFA
Players unlikely to Join Al-Fursan:
The Sharbini Brothers:
See this post from May of last year. Anas WILL get a senior cap in a continental qualifier very soon. Ahmad will hold out hope having played for Croatia at U-19 and U-21 levels and as long as he plays for one of Croatia’s biggest clubs there will be an outside chance for him.
He’s only 19 and has been called up for Chile’s senior team once already, although he didn’t play. It will be a matter of time until he follows the path of Daúd Gazale.
He’s ruled out playing for us and wants to focus on getting into the Chilean NT. He mentions
here that he had been approached by us and would rather play for Chile if given the choice.
Players who are past their prime:
31 years of age and average in every way imaginable. Plies his trade in Chile but is of Argentine persuasion where he was part of Palestino’s incredible run to Clausura final in 2008. Currently plays for Union de La Calera. The way I see it, the man is either flat out not interested or completely unaware that he could play for Palestine.
Approached three years ago along with Mexico’s Miguel Sabah, accepted, but wanted to be paid. Time has passed him and he is now on the wrong side of 30 and no longer playing in the top tier of Argentine football.
Has never been approached about playing for us, which is a shame since he probably would have accepted. He’s 31 now and playing on an amateur contract… there are better options out there.
Sami Al-Nono
Awesome name… but very little pedigree, last recorded playing for Preußen Münster in the fourth tier of the Bundesliga. He’s also 31 years of age, so again as far as striking options go Attal and Keshkesh look like better options.
Players we could have a shot at:
Tamer Abu Taha:
This player is an Arab-Israeli but unlike many of his compatriots I have found no record of him ever playing for an Israeli national side at youth level. Abu Taha is currently a member of Hamburg SV’s youth set-up and will turn 18 in August. I don’t know much about his situation because I can’t read Hebrew… so if one of our loyal readers can, perhaps you’ll be able to shed more light on this particular player.
We’ve spoken about him before and shown you his youtube highlights. This guy has game, and would be a huge addition. Apparently, he was discovered by ex-national team coach Nicola Shahwan but there has yet to be a move on the part of the PFA.
Great name with even greater hair. Corona has signed on with Puebla of the Mexican Primera this season and it seems that his stock is rising. He plays centrally as a defender or midfielder which could make him the ideal replacement for Edgardo Abdala. Another player who has been ignored by our coaching staff and Football Association.
Players who would gladly join:
Recently signed for Lebanese reigning champions Al-Ahed. So he’ll be playing in the AFC Cup next year. He’s reputed for his lightning fast speed and has said that playing for Palestine’s national team is a dream of his.
Played for Al-Ahed last year but will be taking his talents to the beaches of Tyre with recently promoted Al-Salam Sour. Only scored three goals last season while limited to mostly cameo appearances. He’s 24 and is known for his physical presence at the forward position
There are many other Lebanese-based players we can talk about but these are two of the more prominent ones. Anyone with a more in-depth knowledge of these players and the Lebanese League feel free to comment below.
There are also players based in Syria, which has one of the stronger leagues in the Middle East. The most notable are Deab Al-Majzoub (Al-Wathba) & Ammar Al-Abtah (Al-Shorta).
He’s perhaps the best Palestinian player based in the Middle East and hasn’t even earned a call up! Currently plays in the Qatari Stars League for Alkharitiyat SC and is a mainstay in the squad despite only being 22. He plays centrally in the midfield although he is known for his ability to roam and pick his spots. Has also expressed his desire in an interview to play for Palestine and lamented the fact that two Palestinians Wissam Rizq and Bilal Abdelrahman went unnoticed and represented Qatar instead.
Anyone else we may have missed? Let us know with a comment below.
