'Sports is more than a game' - Palestine's sports minister
Jibril expressed Palestine's gratitude to Malaysia for its continued support not only in football but also for its long-standing political and moral stance toward the Palestinian cause.
SHAH ALAM - Palestine's Youth and Sports Minister Jibril Mahmoud Muhammad Rajoub has stressed that sports is more than just a game for Palestinians. It serves as a powerful platform to highlight their people's suffering and their ongoing fight for justice.
"It is a platform to highlight our people’s suffering, our fight for justice and our unwavering determination to achieve freedom," Jibril told a press conference yesterday at the Embassy of Palestine.
He revealed that multiple countries had offered to host Palestine's match against Jordan.
"To be fair, multiple countries offered to host our World Cup Qualifier match against Jordan.
"However, we chose Malaysia for two key reasons.
"Malaysia is not part of the qualifying groups, and it is a friendly country—just like its people, who are welcoming to both the Palestine and Jordan teams.
"Other offers came from Indonesia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, but Malaysia stood out," he said.
In response to a question about the possibility of Palestine playing future matches in Malaysia beyond the game against Jordan, Jibril expressed the Palestinian FA's deep gratitude for the unwavering support and cooperation from the Malaysian government and its people, while reaffirming their strong commitment to playing on home soil.
"We remain steadfast in our commitment to playing on our home soil.
"We urge the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) and FIFA to take action against Israel and support our request to return to Palestine for future matches.
“Our next game, after Jordan, will be against Kuwait on Oct 10, and we are optimistic that it will take place in Jerusalem,” he added.
