Coach Ihab Abu Jazar puts Gaza on the Arab Cup map

Ihab Abu Jazar was not just the coach who led the Palestinian national team in the Arab Cup, he was the story of Gaza walking on the front line, its voice reaching from the tents to the brightly lit stadiums in Qatar.

Ihab Abu Jazar: Gaza’s son

A son of Gaza who lived its daily reality, leaving behind family who remain there amid a war that has lasted two years and endless suffering, he carried the banner of Palestine and Gaza together before the eyes of the world.

Ihab did not come out of nowhere. He is a son of the place, knows its pain well, and remembers the names of its streets and the faces of its people. Therefore, his mission was not only coaching, but also humanitarian and national. He entered the tournament knowing that every match was a message, and every minute of play was a space of hope for a people exhausted by war and deprivation.

During all the national team’s training sessions and matches, Abu Jazar motivated his players with words that came from the heart: ‘You are not playing only for yourselves. There are people waiting for us in Gaza, in tents, under bombardment and in the cold.’ He linked the sweat on the pitch with the pain in the besieged streets to create a different, sincere motivation that cannot be taught in training manuals.

The scene that summed up the story and brought millions to tears was the image of his mother watching him from inside a tent in Gaza. A mother watching her son lead his country’s national team, while living the harshest of lives. An image that bridged the distance between Gaza and Qatar and made the world see football through different eyes: a game that gives life, even if only for a few moments.

Rising above suffering

In Gaza, despite the pain, people rose above their suffering. They gathered around screens, followed their team’s matches, cheered for the players, and found rare moments of joy in every victory or honourable performance. The Palestinian national team, led by Ihab Abu Jazar, not only achieved sporting results, but also gave its people doses of happiness and restored their sense of presence, visibility and audibility.

This is how Ihab Abu Jazar became an icon. Not only because he is a successful coach, but because he carried Gaza in his voice, in his gaze, and in every step he took on the bench. He raised its flag high and made the Arab Cup a platform to remind us that behind the numbers and results, there are people, stories, and a coach named Ihab Abu Jazar who left Gaza but left his heart there.

Featured image via the Canary