"We are more than a national team, we represent a story of pain but also hope, Ihab Abu Jazar said, and we are not alone. At 8.26pm on Saturday the Palestine coach, whose father was killed in the Israel-Gaza war and whose siblings now live in tents in Khan Younis, emerged from the tunnel and took his place by the bench at San Mames, Bilbao."
"Dressed in black, a keffiyeh over his shoulders, he watched 11 men in red, a team of refugees playing for Palestinians all over the world, and listened to 51,396 people applaud them, chanting for their freedom. We don't play just to win; we play to exist, he had said in the days before Palestine played their first game in Europe, an occasion that turned out to be bigger than even he had imagined:"
A Palestine national team composed largely of refugees played at San Mames in Bilbao before 51,396 fans, with Ikurrinas and Palestinian flags displayed and flares burning. The match pitched Euskal Selekzioa, an unrecognised Basque side, against a Palestine team that has not played at home since 2019. Palestine’s coach, Ihab Abu Jazar, appeared in black with a keffiyeh; his father was killed in the Israel‑Gaza war and his siblings live in tents in Khan Younis. Palestine lost 3-0 but received sustained applause and chants, and moments of potential equaliser drew stadium‑wide cheers. The night ended with players and fans united, singing beneath the stand called the Cathedral.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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