IRAN and Palestine are currently embroiled in the ravages of war.
But today they will be competing on a football pitch as both go toe-to-toe in their opening Asian Cup match.
In the case of Palestine, it is something that they are lining up at all.
"It has been extremely difficult," said Susan Shalabi (above), the vice-president of the Palestine FA.
"It was difficult to get the team together, it was impossible to get our Gazan players out of Gaza to join the squad. Only Mahmoud Wadi managed to join the team because he was abroad when the war started.
"There are daily incursions by the Israeli army in the West Bank, forcing us to suspend all local football activity.
"We got the team out of Palestine and they've been away from their families since then."
This story is from the January 14, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
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This story is from the January 14, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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