Iraq football team to play first match in Palestinian territories

Photo: AFP

Iraq’s national football team is set to travel Thursday on its first-ever visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank where it will face off against the Palestinian national squad, a team official said Monday. 

Iraq fought in wars against Israel in 1948, 1967 and 1973 and has still technically yet to make peace with the Jewish state.

The friendly match with Iraq will be held Saturday in Ramallah, the West Bank’s administrative centre.

“A Palestinian delegation will wait for the Iraqi team in Amman and escort it to Ramallah,” Iraqi team official Basil Gorgis told AFP.

The Palestinian team, a FIFA member since 1998, in May squared off against the Iraqi squad in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/sports/2018/07/iraq-football-team-to-play-first-match-in-palestinian-territories/