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The ongoing war on Gaza means that Palestine have been forced to seek out a neutral ground on which to host their games. For the November and March windows, the Palestine Football Association (PFA) hosted Lebanon and Bangladesh in Kuwait City.
There was a conscious effort from the PFA to find an alternate ground for the pivotal match against Lebanon June 6th. The one stumbling block was that Palestine could not ‘host’ a match in a country that itself was hosting a qualifier on the same day. That rule eliminated Jordan which would have been the natural choice given the vociferous support of Al-Wehdat Ultras.
Two front runners emerged last month. Qatar had expressed its willingness to help the team in any way possible- and started by exempting Amid Mahajna and Alaa Aldeen Hassan from their foreign player status which allowed them to sign for Al-Rayyan and Al-Arabi, respectively.
Abha, Saudi Arabia is a location the coaching staff fell in love with before the Asian Cup. The nondescript city was secluded but had everything a coach could want in terms of football facilities.
At an altitude of 2,270 meters above sea level the city in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern corner gave Al-Fida’i a fitness edge. It is thought that several higher ups in the PFA want to use the altitude as a homefield advantage.
The QFA remains ready to host Palestine’s game against Lebanon but there remains a fixation on Abha. Sources have confirmed to Football Palestine that there is reticence to accept Qatar’s offer as Lebanon will also be hosting their game vs. Bangladesh in Doha five days later.
“At this point it seems our football association is saying no out of spite.” said one source who preferred to remain anonymous in order to protect relationships.
The option of hosting in Abha is further complicated by the fact that the Saudi authorities do not issue tourist visas during the Hajj season.
The Asian Football Confederation and FIFA require teams submit the proposal of a home pitch no later than thirty days before the match. That deadline passed this week with no clarity provided as to a final decision regarding the venue of the match. According to the Asian Football Confederation’s rules and regulations here is what is likely to happen:
Qatar seems to be the likely venue given the AFC’s propensity to organize matches and tournaments there. The readiness of the QFA and the fact that Qatar will be playing away from home on June 6th make it ever more likely that Palestine will play in Doha as opposed to Abha.
