State of Palestine: Saudi football team arrives in West Bank ahead of 1st game in territory

03:11

State of Palestine: Saudi football team arrives in West Bank ahead of 1st game in territory

Palestinian Territory, Occupied, Ramallah, West Bank

October 13, 2019 at 15:26 GMT +00:00 · Published

The Saudi national football team arrived in Ramallah on Sunday, ahead of its clash with the Palestinian national team on Tuesday. The game marks the first time the Saudi team is playing in the Palestinian territory.

The game marks a change in policy for Riyadh, which has previously played matches against Palestine in third-party countries.

Arab clubs and national teams have historically refused to play in Palestine since to do so they would have to apply for Israeli entry permits.

"Today is a historic day," said Ramallah and al-Bireh governor Dr. Laila Ghannam. "Today we are not only talking about sports, but we are talking about politics, patriotism, and morality."

"As our president says, a prisoner's visit does not mean normalisation with the jailer," Ghannam added.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has reportedly invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend the match.

State of Palestine: Saudi football team arrives in West Bank ahead of 1st game in territory

03:11

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The Saudi national football team arrived in Ramallah on Sunday, ahead of its clash with the Palestinian national team on Tuesday. The game marks the first time the Saudi team is playing in the Palestinian territory.

The game marks a change in policy for Riyadh, which has previously played matches against Palestine in third-party countries.

Arab clubs and national teams have historically refused to play in Palestine since to do so they would have to apply for Israeli entry permits.

"Today is a historic day," said Ramallah and al-Bireh governor Dr. Laila Ghannam. "Today we are not only talking about sports, but we are talking about politics, patriotism, and morality."

"As our president says, a prisoner's visit does not mean normalisation with the jailer," Ghannam added.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has reportedly invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend the match.

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