I came across this piece while foraging for news on the National Team a couple of days ago. It turns out, we sent a team to the Homeless World Cup in Rio made up of the homeless refugees in Lebanon. This was the first time a Palestinian Team has participated in the competition.
After doing some more research it turns out that Palestine impressed by finishing 10th out of 43 nations. I think the result speaks volumes about Palestinian Football, not because I think any of these players could go professional, but because it just shows that Palestine is a footballing nation. Most people do not associate Palestine with football, despite the fact that we have the second oldest FA in the Arab World and one of the oldest in Asia (founded in 1928, 24 years before the AFC even came into existence). There is a lot of raw talent and potential out there; whether it be in refugee camps, the narrow streets of Nablus and Jerusalem, or in the wider diaspora. The talent is there, we just lack the resources of some other countries.
Here is the full list of Palestine’s results at the Homeless World Cup:
1st Round:
Palestine 8 – 2 Hong Kong
Palestine 1 – 7 England
Palestine 13 – 4 Argentina
2nd Round:
Palestine 5 – 5 Lithuania
Palestine 2 – 4 Ukraine
Palestine 7 – 6 Austria
Palestine 3 – 1 Ghana
Palestine 8 – 6 Netherlands
Palestine 9 – 5 Belgium
Dignitary Cup Final
