In an effort to draw attention to the Israeli occupation, regional fans have made the Palestinian flag a symbol of this year’s World Cup.
In reference to what Arabs refer to as the 1948 Nakba, when Zionist militias forcibly uprooted hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland, Tunisian fans raised a “Free Palestine” flag in the 48th minute of their Qatar World Cup match against Australia on Saturday.
Although Palestine did not make the tournament, which is taking place in the Middle East for the first time, its national flag has become a recurrent motif throughout the competition.
Arab and Tunisian football fans have made it a point to fly Palestinian flags and cover their shoulders with Palestinian shawls.
This support for Palestine and the region as a whole is so strong that in one popular video, a smiling Egyptian supporter leans in front of an Israeli broadcaster and says, “Viva Palestine. ”
Recent social media posts feature fans who, upon realizing they are being interviewed by Israeli media, either leave or demand the liberation of Palestine.
There are now direct flights between Tel Aviv and Doha, with fans and diplomatic representatives being allowed for the first time, despite Qatar and Israel having no formal relations.
Numerous supporters gathered in Doha ahead of the World Cup and waved the Palestinian flag; according to reports, this was a part of an event put on by the group Qatar Youth Against Normalization.
Palestinians refer to the massacres and forcible expulsions they suffered at the hands of Zionist militias in 1948 to make way for the establishment of Israel as the Nakba, or “the catastrophe,” in Arabic.
Zionist gangs massacred entire Palestinian villages, slaughtering unarmed civilians without regard for their safety and interring some of them in mass graves.
Tunisia
Australia defeated Tunisia 1-0 in their second World Cup game on the field and away from the spectators.
The Australian team’s hopes of winning the World Cup remained alive thanks to Mitchell Duke’s game-winning goal, which was their first in 12 years.
Just behind the defending champions, France, Australia has now climbed to second place in Group D. On November 30, Australia will take on Denmark in their game.
Australia’s victory over Tunisia was just its third World Cup victory in more than 30 years of competition. They are still in the running to advance to the next round after being thoroughly defeated 4-1 by France on Tuesday.
The most important fact that would have stuck in the minds of most Tunisians after Australia’s goal in the 23rd minute is that they have not won a game in the last 30 after giving up the first goal.
Saudi Arabia
Herve Renard, the manager of the Saudi Arabian team, denied that each player had been promised a Rolls Royce as a reward for their stunning World Cup victory over Argentina earlier in the week before the Saudi-Polish game.
It appears, though, that the players won’t get any extra cars for Poland’s 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
Eight minutes from the end of the Group C match, Robert Lewandowski netted his first World Cup goal to give Poland a 2-0 victory.
Poland’s lead over Saudi Arabia was cemented by Wojciech Szczesny’s two-point World Cup saves. The goalkeeper for Juventus blocked a shot from Salem Al-Dawsari before Mohammed Al Burayk was able to score on a rebound.
