Palestinian coach gets hope from mum in Gaza tent

Coach Ehab Abu Jazar is guiding a national team that carries on its shoulders all the hopes and sorrows of Palestinian football, but it is his mother, forced by war to live in a Gaza tent, who is his main inspiration and motivation.

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The war that broke out on Oct.7, 2023 put an end to Palestinian league matches, and left athletes in exile fearing for their loved ones in Gaza. But Abu Jazar's mother refuses to let the conflict overshadow the sporting dreams of her son, to whom she feeds tactical advice from the rubble of the Palestinian territory by phone.

“She talks to me about nothing but the team. She wants the focus to remain solely on the tournament," the 45-year-old manager told AFP.

“My mother asks me about the players, who will play as starters and who will be absent, about the tactics, the morale of the players and the circumstances surrounding them.”