JABALIA, Palestinian Territories: On an improvised pitch in war-ravaged Gaza, a young player and goalkeeper block out the boisterous crowd and focus solely on the football as they square off.
The referee blows the whistle and the penalty-taker fires the ball into the makeshift goal, sparking wild celebrations as spectators swarm him.
For fans and players, Tuesday’s match in the Jabalia refugee camp was a welcome distraction from the pangs of hunger and exhaustion endured over nearly 300 days of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Referee Rami Mustafa Abu Hashish told AFP that football helped “restore a semblance of life” to Jabalia, devastated by Israeli bombardments and fighting which have laid waste to schools, stadiums and homes, and uprooted families many times over.
In the courtyard of a school-turned-shelter, the two sides vied for a trophy one player said was salvaged from the rubble.
The game created a festive atmosphere, with spectators pulling out chairs and leaning over the railings of the three-story compound to cheer.
A group of boys packed onto an empty lorry bed for a better view.
“We will play despite hunger and thirst, we will compete because we love life,” read one child’s sign in both English and Arabic.
Jabalia was hit particularly hard in an Israeli offensive launched in May, part of a fierce campaign sweeping northern Gaza — an area the military had previously said was out of the control of Hamas militants.
As fighting rages, humanitarian agencies struggle to deliver aid and warn of a looming famine.
Residents have told AFP there is barely any food left in the north, and what little reaches them comes at an astronomical cost.
For the footballers, the match offered a rare escape from concerns about food and water shortages.
They have been unable to play since the October 7 outbreak of the war triggered by Hamas’s attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 44 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 39,145 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
“Since the war on the Gaza Strip, we’ve stayed away from sports because all the clubs were destroyed, all the playgrounds were destroyed, but today, we made something out of nothing,” said Saif Abu Saif, one of the players.
The Gaza education ministry says 85 percent of educational facilities in the territory are out of service because of the war.
Many have been turned into shelters for war displaced as most of the besieged strip’s 2.4 million people have been uprooted multiple times.
Coach Wael Abu Saif said he was determined to attend Tuesday’s match despite still experiencing pain from wounds sustained in a February attack. Now in a wheelchair, he said he lost the use of both his legs.
“I’ve loved football since I was a child, I love tournaments, I love playing,” he told AFP.
“I want to prove to the whole world... that we continue to move forward with the most basic of our rights, which is to play football.”
‘We love life’: Gaza’s war-weary footballers play on
https://arab.news/w2nak
‘We love life’: Gaza’s war-weary footballers play on
- Referee Rami Mustafa Abu Hashish told AFP that football helped “restore a semblance of life” to Jabalia
- In the courtyard of a school-turned-shelter, the two sides vied for a trophy one player said was salvaged from the rubble
Estudiantes beat Racing on penalties to claim Argentine Clausura title
- Estudiantes de la Platas will face Apertura champions Platense in Champions Trophy
- Estudiantes had a difficult buildup to the final, with their president Juan Sebastian Veron and the team’s starting lineup being handed suspensions by Argentina’s FA last month
SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO: Estudiantes de La Plata goalkeeper Fernando Muslera’s heroics inspired his side to a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Racing Club in the Argentine Torneo Clausura final at the Estadio Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero on Saturday.
The win sealed a first title for Estudiantes since they won the 2010 Apertura and will see them face this year’s Apertura champions Platense in next weekend’s Champions Trophy.
“This team is incredible,” Uruguayan Muslera said.
“I have no words to describe the emotion and joy I feel now for having contributed to getting here when at one point we weren’t close.”
Tempers flare
Tempers flared in the second half after Racing’s Adrian Martinez committed a heavy foul on Santiago Nunez, sparking protests from the Estudiantes players and calls for a red card.
However, he escaped with a yellow card, a decision met with jeers from sections of the crowd.
The 57th minute brought some nervous moments for Racing as goalkeeper Facundo Cambeses collided with Guido Carrillo during a corner and required medical treatment twice before being declared fit to continue.
The breakthrough came 10 minutes from time when a miscommunication in Estudiantes’ defense allowed Martinez to pounce, drilling the ball past Muslera to spark wild celebrations among the Racing supporters.
Estudiantes fought back in added time, with Carrillo directing a header on target following a set piece to level the match and send the encounter to extra time.
“It’s an inexplicable emotion. This is the reward for supporting a club that always bounces back, even when it seems to be down and out,” said Carrillo, who missed a string of key games for Estudiantes due to a four-match suspension for a dangerous challenge.
“It was unjustified that ban. The last few weeks have been very difficult, but this group secured the victories, which is a testament to their character and ability to rise to the occasion in the most challenging of situations.”
Extra time and penalties
Racing’s Adrian Fernandez had an excellent opportunity to score with seconds remaining in extra time but he blasted his shot wide from tight angle, a miss that Racing would go on to rue.
Both goalkeepers made excellent saves to send the penalty shootout to sudden death, with Estudiantes substitute Facundo Rodriguez holding his nerve to send an effort squirming past Cambeses and give his side a 5-4 lead.
Franco Pardo stepped up to keep Racing’s hopes alive but his effort was diverted onto the post by Muslera to ensure victory for Estudiantes.
Estudiantes’ path to final
Estudiantes had a difficult buildup to the final, with their president Juan Sebastian Veron and the team’s starting lineup being handed suspensions by Argentina’s FA last month after refusing to form a guard of honor for Rosario Central.
Rosario, who were declared league champions after a rule change, won the new title by ending the regular season of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments with a combined 66 points.
Estudiantes’ players turned their backs on Rosario’s players when they walked onto the pitch for Sunday’s Clausura last-16 game, protesting at their opponents being crowned champions, a title not bestowed based on combined points in the competition’s original rules.
