Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium
| Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | Al-Ram, West Bank, Palestinian Authority |
| Coordinates | 31°50′51″N 35°13′49″E / 31.8475°N 35.23028°ECoordinates: 31°50′51″N 35°13′49″E / 31.8475°N 35.23028°E |
| Renovated | 2008 |
| Surface | Artificial turf |
| Capacity | 12,500 (all seated) |
| Tenants | |
| Palestine national football team (2008–present) | |
Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium is an association football stadium in Al-Ram, West Bank. It is the home stadium of the Palestine national football team. It is named for Faisal Husseini, a Palestinian politician who died in 2001. The stadium seats 12,500.
[edit] Palestine International Matches
On October 26, 2008 the team played Jordan in their first-ever home international in 10 years of FIFA membership. In attendance were FIFA President Joseph Blatter and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.[1] On October 29, 2009, the Palestinian national women’s football team played its first home international match against Jordan before a capacity crowd at the stadium.[2]
On March 9, 2011, Palestine "played its first ever competitive match at home in the West Bank". It was the second leg of a qualifier for the 2012 Olympic Games, against Thailand. Thailand had won the first leg 1-0 in Bangkok; Palestine won the second 1-0 at the stadium, with a goal by Abdul Hamid Abuhabib in the 43rd minute. The draw on aggregate led to a penalty shootout, with Thailand winning 6-5. Attending the match was Prime Minister Fayyad, who described it as a "historic day".[3]
| 9 March 2011 |
Palestine  |
1 – 0 (1-1 on aggregate; 5-6 penalty shootout) |  Thailand |
Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium, Al-Ram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abuhabib  43' |
On July 3, 2011, the stadium hosted "the first World Cup game ever to be played at home in the Palestinian territories". The game was the second leg of a two-match encounter against Afghanistan, in the first round of the Asian Football Confederation qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The game was a draw, enabling Palestine to advance to the second round on aggregate. Afghanistan were eliminated.[4]
| 3 July 2011 17:00 UTC+3 |
Palestine |
1 – 1 |  Afghanistan |
Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium, Al-Ram Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Banjar Al-Dosari (Qatar) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadi 12' |
Report | Arezou 63' |
[edit] References
- ^ "Jordan ties Palestine in historic match". The Jordan Times. 2008-10-27. http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=11641. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
- ^ "Palestine women tie Jordan in soccer first". Ma'An News Agency. 2000-10-26. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=235173. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
- ^ "Palestinian footballers in bittersweet Olympic match". BBC News. 2011-03-09. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12693615. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
- ^ "Palestinians play first World Cup qualifier at home", BBC, July 3, 2011
[edit] External links
- Palestinians make footy history
- Palestine to play 1st match in home stadium
- Palestine is united by national football team's first home match
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