Wadi Al Nes: After Palestine's historic AFC Asian Cup finals debut in Australia, a competition they qualified for thanks to their first-ever continental title success at the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup, Wadi Al Nes defender Ahmad Jamal is hoping the West Bank Premier League clubs participating in the AFC Cup can continue the ‘feelgood factor’ currently permeating Palestinian football.
With the AFC’s revamping of its club competitions opening the door of top level continental football to a greater number of Member Associations, Wadi Al Nes’ 2013/14 league triumph has guaranteed that they will be the first team from Palestine to take part in the AFC Cup, while Hilal Al Quds could join them in the tournament if they successfully negotiate Tuesday’s play-off against inaugural AFC Cup champions Al Jaish.
And Jamal is determined Wadi Al Nes will play their part in the current Palestinian football renaissance when they embark on their inaugural AFC Cup campaign against Jordan’s Al Jazeera at the Faisal Al Huseni Stadium on February 24.
“Palestinian football has come a long way over the last few years, in both Arab and Asian tournaments. We’re not just taking part in the AFC Cup to make up the numbers; our intention is to qualify for the second round,” the 27-year-old told FIFA.com.
“Wadi Al Nes are making their debut in the competition, and we’re going to give 100 per cent as we try to overcome hurdles and achieve positive results. We’ve got a few surprises up our sleeves for all our supporters, despite the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in at home.”
Domestic rivalries are put on hold in the continental arena for Jamal, who is hoping that West Bank Premier League rivals Hilal Al Quds will join the them in the AFC Cup, with the 2013/14 Palestine Cup winners facing Syrian giants Al Jaish in Bahrain next week.
Hilal Al Quds supplied eight players for the Palestine national team that battled bravely during their three matches at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and with the national team having won the hearts of many a neutral watching the action Down Under, the Jerusalem-based club joining Jamal’s side in the AFC Cup would represent another triumph for the West Asian nation.
“Hopefully Hilal Al Quds can make it to the group stage, as that would have a great impact on Palestinian football as a whole. As for Wadi Al Nes, let’s hope we can match some of our national team’s recent performances.”
No comments:
Post a Comment