Agencies
Ramallah
Hundreds of Palestinians cheered and celebrated in the centre of Ramallah yesterday when their national team defeated the Philippines Azkals 1-0 to win the AFC Challenge Cup and qualify for the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.
Ashraf Nouman scored the only goal in the game played at Male National Stadium in the Maldives to give Palestine its first ever international football cup victory and first qualification to play at the AFC Asian Cup next year.
Nouman scored the goal in the 58th minute of the game with a brilliant free kick which found the corner of the net.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated the Palestinian team for the victory.
Abbas praised “the excellent performance of our national football team and the spirit of the challenge and determination to raise the name and place of Palestine in the sphere of the Asian football”, said official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom telephoned Abbas to congratulate him on the victory, according to Wafa.
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah city centre to watch the game on large screens set up to broadcast the game live.
Spectators waved the Palestinian flag, and cheered when Nouman scored the goal and the referee blew his whistle to announce the end of the game after five minutes of added time.
“We have made history today,” yelled one of the spectators, waving a Palestinian flag.
Palestine defeated Afghanistan 2-0 on Tuesday in the semi-finals and the Azkals beat the Maldives 3-2 to qualify for the final of the Challenge Cup.
Palestine played the Philippines for the third place in the 2012 Challenge Cup and lost 4-3.
The Palestinian Football Association joined FIFA and the AFC in 1998 following the creation of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Palestinians say that Israel, which controls coming and going from Gaza and the West Bank, has been restricting the movement of Palestinian athletes and have urged FIFA sanction the Jewish state unless it loosened the restrictions.
Israel cites security concerns for restricting movement between Gaza and the West Bank.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories this week, said he did not see a reason for sanctioning Israel. Blatter said he would find a solution to Palestinian demands, without elaborating.
The FIFA Congress will convene in Sao Paolo in Brazil next month.
Some said the victory inspired a feeling of unity among Palestinians, divided by a deep political rift between Hamas and Fatah. The two sides have been negotiating formation of a unity government in the past few weeks.
“This is the first-ever championship win in Palestinian history and I hope it boosts unity and reconciliation efforts,” said Abdel-Salam Haniyeh, a member of the Palestinian Higher Council for Youth and Sport.
