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It was not supposed to be this way. On the heels of unprecedented success at the 2023 Asian Cup and the Second Round of 2026 World Cup qualification teams were supposed to be clamoring for Palestinians talent.
That demand from teams in the Arab world and beyond never arrived and Palestine now find themselves in a situation where four starters in their last meaningful match are without a club. Palestine are set to play Korea Republic in Seoul 30 days from the date of publication.
That list includes goalkeeper Rami Hamadi, midfielder Ataa Jaber, centreback Michel Termanini, and fellow defender Mohammed Saleh. Yaser Hamed who has been a big part of the national team set up since debuting in 2019 is also out of contract. Shehab Qunbar is alo clubless in spite of starting games at the Asian Cup and scoring twice for the team in World Cup qualification
Those lucky enough to have signed for clubs had precious few offers to choose from. The team’s captains Musab Al-Battat and Tamer Seyam are now club teammates in Jordan having inked contracts with Al-Faisaly in the summer. Ameed Sawafta has found a home in Libya where Mahmoud Abu Warda will also be staying on for another season switching from Al-Ittihad to Al-Tahadee as is Mohammed Khalil who signed for Al-Hilal after spending the second half of last season with Assaria SC. The likes of Zaid Qunbar (ex-Al-Ittihad), Samer Jondi, Islam Batran (ex Al-Ahli), and Mohammed Yameen (ex-Al-Wefaq) have not been as fortunate.
This leaves Palestine is a precarious situation that is glossed over by the fact that Wessam Abou Ali is perhaps the most in-form #9 in the world (28 league goals in 34 appearances in Sweden and Egypt) a figure that trails only the likes of Ronaldo and Kane.
Palestine will have to figure out either how to prepare their growing legion of clubless players or figure out replacements for them in the starting lineup. A cursory glance at some of the names without a club leaves more questions than answers.
Rami Hamadi has 52 official caps for the national team and has kept 27 clean sheets. His GAA (goals against average) is .84. He has kept a clean sheet in a higher percentage of games than Mat Ryan (40 in 92 caps) and has a lower GAA (.91). Ryan signed for AS Roma in the offseason.
Zion Suzuki who had an absolute horror show in goal for Japan was bought for €10 million by Parma.
Hamadi is at home waiting for the phone to ring- not a single offer from anywhere in the world has come his way.
Ataa Jaber is Palestine’s best midfielder and his two-way profile is not very common in Asia. You would think sides across West Asia would be lining up to sign a number 8 who can do it all. You would be wrong. The same goes for Moustafa Zeidan who was one of the best players in the Allsvenskan two years ago and is only 26 but frozen out of Malmo’s squad.
Michel Termanini was Palestine’s standout defender at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He also scored perhaps the most pivotal goal in qualifying when he scored against Bangladesh to deliver a 1-0 win after Palestine had been reduced to ten men. The defender isn’t even 26 years old yet but you would be forgiven for thinking he was 36 given the lack of interest he has generated.
The other center backs who are out of contract will be left ruing missteps in their career. Unlike some of their teammates on this list their ordeals are largely the result of their own poor decisions.
Mohammed Saleh had signed a deal to keep him at Ittihad Alexandria through the 2025 season but had a falling out with the team’s owner. His contract was terminated and he was then left in further limbo trying to evacuate his family from Gaza. A short stint with Muaither at the end of the 2023/24 season for the last four games of the season did not result in a permanent contract.
Yaser Hamed Mayor might have something in the works- the vagabond defender walked out on Zamalek due to a lack of playing time but the timing left many bewildered. The Basque-born defender would have been in line to start after Hossam Abdelmaguid was called up to the Egyptian Olympic squad. That game time would have been vital in preparing for World Cup qualifying with Palestine and perhaps stating his case to play when the new season starts in October.
Makram Daboub has been on the record stating his hatred for the September window and he will not have discovered his love for it in 2024. The Tunisian tactician will be left with the difficult decision of sticking with the team that got him this far or handing opportunities to players with consistent playing time under their belts.
