Saudi Arabian national football team arrives in the West Bank for upcoming game
Saudi Arabia’s national football team arrived in the West Bank on Sunday for the first time, ahead of their upcoming match against the Palestinian national team.
The two teams will face off during a World Cup qualifying match in the occupied Palestinian territories on October 15.
Saudi Arabia’s Sports Authority announced October 3 that its national football team would play against the Palestinian national team in the Palestinian town of al-Ram. Past matches between the two countries’ football teams have taken place in third countries.
Palestinian national football player Ahmad Qatamesh said the decision by Saudi Arabia to play in the West Bank’s Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium “is a good step for us as Palestinians.”
Palestinian women welcome Saudi Arabia’s national football players with flowers in Ramallah on October 13, 2019 upon the team’s arrival in the occupied Palestinian territories where they will play for the first time next week their match in the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup against Palestine. (AFP)
“It will be an amazing feeling to play for our fans on our land, to show the world we are here to stay,” said Qatamesh in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya English. Qatamesh was born and raised in Tulkarm refugee camp, the second largest refugee camp in the West Bank.
Teammate Yaser Hamed Mayor said that the October 15 match in the Palestinian town of al-Ram will be “historic.”
“We are happy to be able to play at home with our fans, receiving the support of our people,” said Mayor in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya English.
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, chairman of the country’s Sports Authority, said the step comes in response to the request of the Palestinian Federation and their desire to host the game.
“At the request of the brothers in the Palestinian Federation, the Saudi Football Federation agrees to play the first team match in the Asian qualifiers in the city of Ramallah in Palestine,” Saudi Arabia’s Sports Authority said on Thursday in a statement on Twitter.
The decision was also made to ensure that the Palestinian team is “not deprived of playing the game at home among its fans like other countries.”
