They weren’t really playing at home, but the Palestinian footballers felt at home at the Jaber Al-Ahmad stadium in Kuwait, filled with flags of their state, without however avoiding defeat against Australia (1-0) on Tuesday in qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Five days after its first meeting since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, already full of emotion and ending in a draw (0-0) against Lebanon, in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), the Palestinian selection “ received” this time, more than 1,200 km from the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. And in the large enclosure usually reserved for the Kuwaiti national team, thousands of spectators, wearing black and white keffiyehs and brandishing red, black, white and green flags, came to support the Palestinians. Banners proclaiming “Liberate Gaza” and photos of keys, symbolizing the homes lost by the Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948, were also held up.
“Palestine is in our hearts. We came to the stadium, young and old, to show our support,” Anfal Al-Azmi, a 45-year-old Kuwaiti woman, told AFP. Not all the fans were of Palestinian origin, many were from other communities living in the oil-rich Gulf country. “Kuwait and Palestine are one. Today, we are guests of Palestine in their land,” declared Ahmed Al-Anezi, a 36-year-old Kuwaiti. “We are here to support our brothers. We are one,” added Yahya Shaher, an 18-year-old Syrian student.
The Palestinians should have initially played this match in Ramallah, in the West Bank. But the war, which began six weeks ago, decided otherwise.