Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Amman: For young Palestinian left-back Hisham Ali, it is a dream come true.
The talented 19-year-old has been selected for the Palestine Olympic side, which is currently training here in the Jordanian capital, and cannot wait to turn up in the national colours.
Ali won the Swedish Premier League with Malmo FC’s U-21 side last year and is looking forward to making his debut under Tunisian coach Mukhtar Al Talili when Palestine take on Thailand in the first leg of the home-and-away first round qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.
“I wish I will get a chance to show what I am capable of,” said Ali, who was born in Malmo but opted to represent Palestine, the country of his parents.
“I have adapted to the conditions here quickly and noticed that the ability of the players is high and they can compete favourably at the regional and international level. I am very proud of my glorious country Palestine.”
About their South-East Asian rivals, Ali said: “Thailand are a good team but we need to gain a positive result to gain confidence for the second leg match at home.”
The second leg, which will take be held at the Faisal Al Husseini Stadium in Al Ram on March 9, incidentally will also be the first ever official international match to be played in Palestine.
“All the players are motivated and want to get good results in the two matches in order to qualify for the next round of the qualifiers,” said Ali.
Coach Al Talili stressed the importance of the training camp.
“This training camp is to guarantee the mental preparation of the players. We must get good results in Bangkok,” said Al Talili.