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’Football sends a message of peace’

ANISUR RAHMAN from Sylhet
Despite all the obstacles [JBBtT Posed by the Israeli Defense Force, the Palestine football team have been growning fast and stunnned everyone by claiming a place in the upcoming Asian Cup. The footballers are determined to deliver the message that football is not only a discipline, but also a tool forpeace.
Sameh Maraaba, a promising striker for Palestine who is currently with the team in the ongoing Bangabandhu Gold Cup in Sylhet, is a prime example of how Palestinian footballers overcome adversity to continue being professional players.
Maraaba was arrested once by the Israeli Defense Force at the Jordan border in 2014 while returning home from a national team training camp in Qatar. He was detained for eight long months on the charge of carrying money and a mobile device that allegedly belonged to a former Hamas member.
After being released from an Israeli prison, he was still restricted from passing the border on a number of occasions and consequently missed a few matches for Palestine. His arrest also cost him a spot in the 2014 Asian Games and 2015 Asian Cup squads.
"We face many difficulties. While passing through the borders the Israelis always delay us for hours and hours. They arrest our players. I was arrested |and kept] for eight months in an Israeli occupation camp just because 1 was becoming a football star at that time," Maraaba told reporters through team doctor Bader Aqel after having lunch at the team hotel in Sylhet yesterday.
"All these difficulties make us stronger. They make us believe that we can deliver our message through football everywhere on earth. Football is not just playing a game but the voice of footballsends a message of peace," added the 26-year-old.
Maraaba informed that Palestine's professional league comprised of 11 clubs, and their first division league, which has another 11 clubs, helped the country climb the FIFA Rankings. Palestine, who at their lowest were ranked 177th in 2010, climbed to their highest position of 73rd in March this year and are currently 100th.
"There is a big progress in the clubs in terms of attitude and performance. This progress also reflects on the
national team,' said Maraaba, who believes that Palestine were back at 100th place due to instability in their technical staff leading to poor performances over the past few months.
Maraaba shared his experience of spending eight months in a prison cell, saying: "The Israelian army interrogated me for the first 45 days. After that I was moved to the central jail where my family were not allowed to visit. I was eventually released due to pressure from the Palestine government, my family and lawyers."