“Experience the best teacher”, says the famous sentence.
This phrase can easily describe what is taking place in the first 5 matchdays of the Palestinian West Bank Premier League this year.
Aside from Jabel Mukaber’ strong start for the season, the team that is now ranked first, with zero losses and four victories is Shabab Balata, the reigning champions from Nablus’ refugee camp.
Balata won its first championship title ever only last season, despite being a cornerstone club in Palestinian football for many years. If in 2019/20 they won the title thanks to the mix between local talent, like Mohammed Abu Warda, Israeli football prodigy in Musa Tarabin, and an experienced veteran such as Abdelatif al-Bahadri, this term they added even more in-depth experienced with the likes of Ashraf Nu’man and Atef Abu Bilal.
Nu’man, 34, was the closest thing to a professional football star during the past decade, where he played for Jordanian giants Al-Faisaly and Al-Wehdat, as well having a successful stint for Saudi club Al-Faisaly. In 2015 he was picked as the 42nd best player in Asia in Four Four Two magazine ranking. Since he returned to Palestinian football, first to Shabab Al-Khaleel, then to his boyhood club Taraji Wad al-Nes, he showed his talent in parts. Still, he struggled to explode and prove his dominance as the best Palestinian ever.
Next to Nu’man, Balata added the veteran Bedouine star, Atef Abu Bilal.
Adding Shabab Balata even more experience and in-depth options than last year. Abu Bilal (Photo: Shurooq al-Sharif)
Abu Bilal, 36, has a rich and sophisticated career between Palestine, and Israel. As a youngster, he was marked as one of the top talents in the South of Israel. He was born in Segev Shalom and was supposed to be Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s next big thing. Still, the high amounts of money and no always professional lifestyle kept him in the lower tiers of Israeli football. In 2012 he joined Shabab Dhahariah from the West Bank Premier League and kicked-off his parallel career, where he played for Shabab Al-Khaleel as well, but then moved back to Israeli football with Hapoel Rahat from the fourth division. A couple of seasons later it was revealed that Abu Bilal still holds a contract from Shabab Al-Khaleel, and was banned by the Israeli football association to 99 years.
Later on, the case was cleared, and Abu Bilal was allowed to play wherever he wanted. Hence, he continued to travel between Israeli lower leagues and Palestinian football with Shabab Dura. This season, he joined the champions Balata, and since then he can’t stop scoring and assisting.
On Thursday night, at the Arab University stadium in Jenin, against Taraji Wad al-Nes Abu Bilal netted a brace, one with a great header and the other with genius touch after a tremendous work by Laith Kharoub. Balata won the match 4-0.
Balata is currently ranked first with 13 points after five games. It looks like their veterans are giving them the ex-factor and experience to retain the title they won last season. Their massive test will come in the next match against the contenders from Jerusalem, Jabel Mukaber.
Photo by Shurooq al-Sharif. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter as well.
