Football in Palestine: a sporting pursuit seen as ‘more noble than war’ | Nicholas Blincoe
Palestinians have invested the game with great hope but it is hopelessly tangled up with disputes over international law
Jibril Rajoub’s office appears to be two large rooms, imperfectly knocked together to leave half as a living room and the other a work space, where the large desk is flanked by a Palestinian flag and the flag of the Palestinian Football Association.
The room is modest, with just a few touches of low-end glitz, such as the lamp shades and a shiny plastic coffee pot. The walls are decorated with photographs, mostly photographs of Rajoub. He stands to greet me cordially but coolly, lifting a hand to point to his sofa. Palestinians are the warmest of hosts but Rajoub, the president of the Palestinian Football Association, is not at all warm. He is a square- shouldered man, neatly balding, slow-speaking. He introduces himself by his military rank, General Jibril Rajoub. As an ice-breaker I ask if he grew up playing football. Of course, he tells me, and points to a framed picture on the wall.