Palestine coach says absence of league poses major challenges ahead of national tournaments

Ihab Abu Jazar, the technical director of the Palestine national team has said the absence of local competitions during the past three years due to Israel’s war of extermination gave the technical staff complex challenges in the process of preparing the national team and preparing it for the upcoming events. And Abu Jazar explained that the Fedayeen are currently undergoing a reconstruction phase aimed at ensuring continuity and maintaining competitiveness during the coming years despite the difficult circumstances that Palestinian football is experiencing.

Abu Jazar also said, during a media symposium with journalists, that the technical staff does not have enough time to work with the players, as it meets with the national team members only a few days before the combined tournaments or training camps, which limits the opportunities to implement the technical and tactical programs in the required manner, and increases the difficulty of building harmony and stability within the team.

Palestine national team under pressure

The Al-Fedai coach stressed that the suspension of the local league not only affects the readiness of the current players, but also reflects on the future of the national team, given the absence of a natural system that produces talents capable of representing Palestine in the coming years.

He pointed out that the technical staff is currently working on a replacement and renewal project within the national team, which aims to reduce the average age and introduce young players capable of assuming responsibility in the future, stressing that this step is necessary to avoid a technical vacuum in the coming years, especially in light of the absence of regular local competitions.

Abu Jazer revealed that the Palestinian Federation and the technical staff contacted a number of major teams participating in the 2026 World Cup in order to play friendly matches. But, geopolitical issues made it almost impossible for many of these matches to take place. The players, then, are deprived of chances to play.

A project for the future and high hopes for the Asian Cup

In response to a question from the Canary about the mechanisms to compensate for the absence of the local league and its impact on player production, Abu Jazar explained that the technical staff continues to follow up and attract players of Palestinian origin who are active in European and Latin American leagues, considering that this step represents one of the most important axes of building the national team in the coming years, and provides important solutions to compensate for the shortage resulting from the suspension of local competitions.

The Palestinian national team is preparing to compete in the 2027 Asian Cup in a group that includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, amid high hopes from the Palestinian fans that Al-Fida’i will continue the development they showed in the Arab Cup in terms of personality, performance, and results. The ultimate goal of the 2030 World Cup qualifiers must feature prominently in Abu Jazar’s plans.

Featured image via Getty/David Ramos