JERICHO: The Palestinian national team is gathering these days for a training camp in Jericho, preparing for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Palestine national team in the training camp in Jericho. (Photo: The Palestinian Football Association)
Although the AFC, together with FIFA, has decided to postpone the March window games to June, the camp was already programmed into the Palestinian league schedule and went along as planned. With the COVID-19 restrictions, the foreign-based players couldn’t make it, and the squad included only the local players for the West Bank.
That camp has arrived just in time to pause Shabab Al-Khaleel’s run in the top of the West Bank Premier League.
Shabab is running away
After the draw between Shabab Al-Khalil and Hilal Al-Quds last week, there were a few more important games in the West Bank Premier League, that involved all the leading teams.
All games were played during very cold weather. First, on Monday, Merkaz Balata tied with Shabab Al-Samu, which already left them stuck two minutes behind Shabab Al-Khaleel, with the latter still having a game in hand.
On Tuesday, things got even more complicated, when Jabel Mukaber hosted Taraji Wad Al-Nes at Faisal Husseini Stadium, which was stormy and flooded. Shehab Qunbar and co. took care of business and won 3-1 with a brace by the tall striker and another goal by Amir Nafaa.
Thursday was the day that saw Shabab making the big jump forward. They hosted Al-Am’ari who was on the fourth spot and hammered them 4-0 in an away fixture at a frozen Faisal Husseini. Oday Kharoub, Daoud Sarhan, Khaldoun Khalman and Modi Yamin were celebrating and enjoying themselves as they opened a five-point gap from the reigning champions, Balata, in second place.
To add to their satisfaction, Hilal Al-Quds lost to Tubas 0-1 in the American University Stadium (Jenin), from a goal by Anas Bani Oudeh. This result sealed definitively Hilal’s faith for this season, and now it’s Balata and Jabel Mukaber that will try to chase the Khaleelies down. It’s going to be a very hard task for them.
Tamer Seyam. Since his arrival from the Moroccan Botola Pro, Shabab is a different team (Photo: The Palestinian Football Association)
