‘Constant anxiety’: Palestine struggle to keep focus before Socceroos tie

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Two national teams will play a World Cup qualifier in Kuwait City on Tuesday night. One arrived by charter flight, with the usual security detail and the knowledge they will return home safely.

The other landed “in a constant state of anxiety” and with no idea what awaits them on the other side of the 90 minutes. Australia’s players will disperse to clubs in various parts of Europe and Asia. Palestine’s will be left in limbo, having only just made it out of the country via Jordan.

The Socceroos were supposed to play Palestine in the West Bank, but the unrelenting violence in the region of the past six weeks put paid to that. Initially for Graham Arnold’s side that meant uncertainty, as Football Australia and the Department of Foreign Affairs waited for word from the Asian Football Confederation on which neutral venue would replace Ramallah.

But once Kuwait was confirmed a fortnight ago, FA has ensured this camp is all but business as usual. The Socceroos, fresh off Thursday’s 7-0 win over Bangladesh in Melbourne, landed on Saturday night, stepping off a flight privately chartered, mainly due to the lack of mass commercial bookings available at short notice and partly to save six hours of travel and ensure optimum recovery. They are staying at a hotel they have stayed at before, one of a few well-contained resorts by the beach and are, as much as they can, treating it as any other game on the road to the 2026 finals.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold talks to his team from the sideline in Melbourne.Credit: Getty

The circumstances, of course, are very different for Palestine, whose Tunisian coach Makram Daboub could not call up all of his usual squad as three players were reportedly unable to get out of Gaza in time for last week’s goalless draw with Lebanon in the United Arab Emirates (Lebanon are also unable to play at home because of the country’s proximity to the conflict). Those who did make it are, he said, struggling to focus.

“The players are in the hotel or on the bus most of the time following the news on their phones and communicating with their families,” Daboub told the Associated Press. “They are in a constant state of anxiety with the continued aggression and war in Palestine.”

Sport has ground to a halt in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Israel. Athletes – including footballers – have been killed. It is impossible to know how many at this point. The deteriorating security situation meant Palestine were forced to withdraw from a tournament in Malaysia in mid-October.

“Our players are not in the right frame of mind, no matter how hard we may try to get their focus on the games,” Daboub said after the Lebanon draw. “It’s natural. They are worried about their families, relatives and friends. That’s the truth.

“Obviously, we have to play the qualifiers. We’ll do our best and hope for some good results, which I believe can bring a little happiness to our people.”

The Socceroos understand well the geopolitical situation, and have pledged to donate part of their match fees to humanitarian efforts in Gaza, to Oxfam through the PFA Footballers’ Trust. FA has said it will match the donation.

FA chief executive James Johnson said being part of the AFC came with many benefits but also acknowledged the geopolitical challenges.

“This one has been difficult,” Johnson said on Monday. “There’s been a lot of debate around where the match will be played. Ultimately, I think the important point is it’s for the Palestinian FA to decide it’s their home game, but to be fair to the Palestinian FA and the AFC, they’ve worked collaboratively with us.

“There were discussions about the match going to Algeria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and we landed with Kuwait, a country where we were comfortable with sending the team. We just had to take some measures to ensure that not only the players are safe, but also that they feel comfortable going to Kuwait.

“So the players are on the ground over there. Things are going okay. They’ve obviously got the match tomorrow night and then straight after the match that players will depart Kuwait.”

After Thursday’s win, Arnold said the conflict was “horrific” but out of the team’s control. His side expects a partisan crowd at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, and an emotion-charged atmosphere.

“They are going to be up for it,” striker Mitchell Duke said before leaving Melbourne. “The challenges are going to be strong. Physically it will be a tough game and the intensity will be high. We need to be prepared for that mentally and physically.”

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