The ball has started rolling this weekend in Asia and Africa with the start of their nations cups. Beyond the joy and emotion that these soccer tournaments unleash on those continents, for some teams the event goes beyond sports and is an opportunity to bring some relief to countries hit by war.
The Asian Cup started yesterday in Qatar, and will run until February 10, while the African Cup starts today in Ivory Coast and will run until February 11. From those nations, these four teams are ready to send a message in favor of peace.
1. The Palestinians and a promise despite the horror
The Palestinian team landed in Doha at the beginning of January with the goal of bringing some hope to those who live in the Gaza Strip. While it was announced that the war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas will last until 2023, the soccer players in the enclave – reduced to rubble by intense Israeli bombing – struggled not to collapse. For some of them, the cup in Qatar is almost a supernatural effort. Not only was the local championship suspended after the outbreak of conflict last October and several stadiums have been bombed, but several players, including Muhamad Saleh and Mahmud Wadi, lost family and friends. Even their houses were destroyed. There have also been reports of local soccer players and athletes injured or killed by Israeli fire.
The Israeli government says its war goals are to destroy Hamas, free its hostages and ensure that Gaza does not become a threat again. (Photo: AFP)
In recent days, coach Makram Daboub stated that raising the Palestinian flag in continental competitions is “an affirmation of Palestinian identity.” “I want to tell our people that our hearts will be with them on the field. We will strive to bring even a simple joy to our people in Gaza,” said Palestinian goalkeeper Rami Hamadi. Although the team has had operational problems and its head is on the news coming from Gaza, it is ready for its debut tomorrow against Iran, one of the favorites of the tournament.
2. The Syrians and a long war as a backdrop
The last Asian Cup, played in 2019, was the first international football tournament for the Syrian team in eight years. Since the civil war began in 2011 following protests against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the local league has been paralyzed. Most of the players and coaches couldn’t be on the court. Among the thousands who died were some players.
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A column of smoke rises from a building following a Russian airstrike in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province on June 25, 2023. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ/AFP)
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The situation has improved in recent years. The Syrian team was the center of attention in the Qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The team from the country devastated by one of the longest wars of our time was close to qualifying for the largest tournament on the planet. By then, the temporary remedy that football can mean for that country was demonstrated, which will now seek joy in the continental tournament while the bombs continue to sound in Syria.
DATA
2015 was the year in which the Palestinian soccer team debuted. The Israeli team is not playing in the Asian Cup, but in the Euro Cup.
7 players of the Syrian team are nationalized. One of them, Colombian striker Pablo Sabbag, plays for Alianza Lima.
Of course, Argentine coach Héctor Cúper has warned the Syrian leaders that “if things get complicated” he will not stay. Although the conflict is stagnant, in recent months the highest level of violence in several years has been recorded, mainly due to Russian bombers in areas rebelling against the regime. The war has left half a million dead so far. Poverty, the humanitarian crisis and displacement worsen the panorama of a crisis that involves great foreign powers without any solution in sight.
3. Mali and DRC also overcome war chaos and misery
For some African teams, it is not easy to keep their minds on the game either. Mali has just completed 11 years immersed in a conflict that already extends through the central Sahel and that has the country immersed in a crisis in which separatism, jihadism and a deep economic crisis are mixed. A junta seized power in 2020 by force and postponed presidential elections scheduled for February of this year. It also forced the departure of the French anti-jihadist force and the UN Minusma mission from the country.
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Soldiers drive through the streets of Bamako, Mali, on August 19, 2020. (Photo: AFP)
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the most impoverished nations in the world, armed violence has been rife since the 1990s, but the crisis peaked in the last two years with the resurgence of the M23 rebellion, supported for Rwanda. This will be put on hold this Wednesday the 17th, when the team debuts against Zambia.