The notoriously unreliable
Atlas Sport is reporting that after a six-year absence, one-time wunderkind Emad Ayoub is set to return to the national side. Well, according to the paper it’s only a five-year absence (I’m pretty sure the last time Emad Ayoub played for Palestine was in a 2-1 Asian Cup Qualifying loss to Kuwait in 2003). The article also goes on to state that the player wants to participate in the game against China. Make of it what you wish, but the team has already departed Egypt and has arrived in China. I doubt Ayoub is on that plane and quite frankly I doubt he is playing professional football. There is absolutely no news about him out there, all the pages that google brings up are from 2003 and the team he is allegedly affiliated with (Al-Sharqiya) have been relegated to the third division.
My epic google search for information on Emad Ayoub’s situation brought me to discover an unknown Gazan- Mahmoud Neerab, a 20-year-old midfielder who plies his trade with Khidamat Rafah in Gaza. According to more than one source, Neeran has been awarded a trial with Port Said club Al-Masry (finished 8th of 16 teams last season in the Egyptian Premier League). This news isn’t the freshest, most the articles are from mid-June, but on July 9th various news sources reported that the player has had trouble crossing into Egypt. A situation which prompted officials at Al-Masry to call on FA President Jibril Rajoub for assistance in solving the matter. We will keep you posted on any updates regarding the matter, but as of now, the player remains in Gaza (surprise).
