Palestine League Cup final in chaos as stadium hit by tear gas

Imagine your league cup final being interrupted by clouds of tear gas, with players and fans choking, some fainting, and having to be sent to the hospital for treatment. 

Well that was the case at Thursday night's Yasser Arafat Cup final at the Faisal Husseini Stadium in Al-Ram.

The Palestinian League Cup was being contested between the newly crowned league champions, Jabal Mukaber, and Shabab Balata.

The first half ended with Jabal Mukaber 1-0 up, via a goal from Zaid Qunbar, an Eastern Jerusalem talent who started his career among the ranks of Beitar Jeursalem's youth squad.

After he didn't receive a chance in the first team there, he moved from Israeli  to Palestinian football, and to the club of his village, Jabal Mukaber, where his brother Shehab is the leading star. 

The chaos started during the half-time break.

A couple of tear gas bombs landed on the pitch, causing vast hysteria and confusion among the supporters and players.

The gas reached the stands, with fans jumping above the fences to escape it.

It entered both teams' dressing rooms too, and a few players needed medical assistance to retain their breath. 

Those tear gas bombs were shot by the Israeli Border Police who, according to them, were busy in a security operation close by.

It was “during an operation to stop infiltration of illegal residents”, a police spokesman told Israeli KAN News.

“The forces used the weapon to disperse demonstrations towards the rioters. It glided into the pitch due to winds but was not aimed at the stadium or the game,” he added.

תגובת דובר מג"ב: "הייתה הפרת סדר בסמוך לאיצטדיון. הייתה פעילות שלנו למניעת הסתננות של שוהים בלתי חוקיים בנקודה ממש צמודה. הכוחות השתמשו באמצעים לפיזור הפגנות לעבר המתפרעים. זה גלש למגרש אבל לא היה מכוון אליו (רוחות). וצורפה התמונה הזאת. pic.twitter.com/LKA5N01ejs

— Lian Wildau (@lianwildau) March 31, 2023

The start of the second half was delayed by more than 30 minutes, and several players continued to suffer from choking and tears.

One of them was Jabal Mukaber's goalkeeper, Rami Hamadeh, who inhaled the gas and needed treatment.

Hamadeh later wrote on social media that “after the 'occupation army' decided to throw gas bombs on the stadium without reason, causing the suffocation of many fans and everyone present in the stadium… I saw how everyone came together to help.”

“We forgot that we were opponents in the stadium and stood as one to help each other. This is the victory of last night, it was a win for everyone, and this is the victory we want."

According to Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestinian Football Association, "it's a shame. We will talk to the whole world, including FIFA to put an end to this terrorism that is practiced against the sport.”

“The Turkish ambassador was in the stadium to witness. There was no friction. This crime is part of a series of crimes committed against our people."

Rajoub has been behind several attempts to ban Israel from FIFA in the past decade. He was even suspended from the organisation after his calls to "burn Lionel Messi's shirts" ahead of a planned friendly between Israel and Argentina. 

FIFA is yet to comment on the incident, but the AFC has condemned the acts of the Israeli forces and called “for an immediate end to all acts of violence by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian people”.

Once every few years, incidents like this happen at Faisal Husseini Stadium.

It is also not the first time that the police force’s explanation is that wind has carried tear gas from a nearby demonstration into the stadium.

On Thursday night, the Yasser Arafat Cup final, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Jabal Mukaber, was broadcasted live on television.

The timing, a day after FIFA removed Indonesia from hosting the U-20 World Cup due to its lack of recognition for Israel, is no less unfortunate for the Israeli football association.

It will no doubt make waves in FIFA corridors.

Edited by Alex Smith