Hard for Palestinian players to stay focused at Asian Cup, coach says

DOHA — The Palestinian squad at the Asian Cup are finding it very hard to focus due to the conflict in Gaza, coach Makram Daboub said on Saturday, but he added that their presence at the tournament should remind the world that "Palestine exists."

Israel kept up bombardments in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as its war on the enclave's Hamas rulers approached 100 days with no end in sight.

The Israeli offensive follows a cross-border rampage on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants in which Israeli officials said 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage back to Gaza. Israel's campaign has demolished much of the coastal strip and killed almost 24,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities in the enclave.

"Keeping focused, honestly, is difficult because most of the time the players are focusing on news after training or before it, even on the bus while going to training," Daboub told reporters ahead of their group opener against Iran on Sunday.

"Everyone is focused on the news and what is happening, but even with that … there is a message that we need to deliver to the whole world. We have a big responsibility that we are the ambassadors for Palestinian soccer, for Palestine.

"The Palestinian people deserve a better life and they deserve freedom. Through the matches, our presence and what we will deliver in this tournament should be a message for the whole world that Palestine exists."

The team's captain Musab al-Battat said stopping sporting activity in Gaza for the past three months had had negative consequences on the players, who have had training camps outside the region due to the conflict.

He also hoped their presence at the Asian Cup would deliver a message to the world.

"As Palestinian players, we have a message that we can deliver to the whole world and that is the Palestinian team and state is a country like all others that has the right to participate and be part of any tournament anywhere," he said.

"Hopefully all these circumstances will be a positive push for us as players to present the best result because our people truly deserve it and our fans deserve it."