Palestine soccer test for India

Indian captain Sunil Chhetri at
Kanchenjungha Stadium on
Sunday. (Kundan Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, Oct. 5: Football enthusiasts of Siliguri are gearing up to watch the Indian team face the national squad of Palestine in a friendly at Kanchenjungha Stadium here tomorrow.

Players of both the teams practised at the stadium this evening. They have seemed satisfied with the ground conditions and the weather.

Saeb Jendiya, the coach of the Palestine team, is of the opinion that tomorrow’s match against India, though a friendly one, will be tough as they are playing in the rivals’ home ground.

But he and his players are hopeful that football enthusiasts here will get to see an excellent match tomorrow.

“The recent conflict with Israel had affected the training of our players and football as whole in our country. There are several players from the war-affected areas who represent the national team. Many of them could not play regularly because of the turmoil. Even then, we will try to play good football here tomorrow,” t Jendiya said at the stadium here today.

Sunil Chhetri, the captain of the Indian team, said: “Playing on home ground in front of a large number of supporters will always be an advantage.”

The visiting team’s present FIFA ranking is 102. India, at present, is ranked 158 by FIFA.

In February 2013, India had played against Palestine at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi and lost 4-2.

But the coach of the foreign team doesn’t want to keep that record in mind and considers India as a hard team to defeat.

“Our match against India will be tough. I have seen the ground here and it is good. We are a bit worried about humidity,” said Jendiya.

The Palestine team was supposed to play two international friendly matches against India at Kanchenjungha Stadium on October 6 and 9.

“The second game had to be cancelled as no back-to-back matches can be played at a same venue in a short span as per FIFA’s instruction,” said Jendiya.

Ramzi Saleh, the skipper of the Palestine team, said: “We would like to send a message to the world that we love the game and love to play football.”

The host team is also giving equal importance to the match.

India’s coach Wim Koevermans said: “We will strengthen our defence against Palestine and hope our boys will play a good game.”