Palestine conjured a minor miracle by reaching their first Asian Cup but the loss of their coach and two star strikers have put even more obstacles in their path.
The team sparked jubilation in May when they won the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives, earning their spot in Australia.
Palestine’s achievement, thanks to a narrow win over the Philippines in the final, saw them named team of the year at the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) annual awards.
But problems have piled up for Palestine, starting with the resignation of their Jordanian coach Jamal Mahmoud, citing personal reasons, in September.
Highly rated striker Imad Khalili is absent from what looks an under-strength squad, while imposing Chilean-born centre-forward Matias Jadue will miss the tournament as the 21-year-old has not received confirmation from Fifa of a change of nationality.
Jadue, whose father is Palestinian, made four appearances for Chile’s youth team in 2009 and had to be omitted from the squad on deadline day as clearance had not been received from Fifa for the switch of allegiance.
To add to their woes, an Israeli raid on the West Bank offices of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) in November caused disruption and anger.
It has been a rocky build-up for Palestine, and far from ideal preparation for what will be the toughest of starts: against defending champions Japan, in Newcastle on January 12.
They will also face 2007 winners Iraq as well as Jordan, who were a play-off victory away from reaching last year’s World Cup, in what looks like an inescapable Group D.
“I think it’s difficult for Palestine,” admitted ex-coach Mahmoud, now succeeded by his former assistant Ahmed Al Hassan, during last month’s AFC awards in Manila.
“But maybe they can go far because they have good players and my assistant, now he is the head coach for Palestine. I think they’ll have a good result at the Asian Cup.”
Mahmoud did not give details about his decision to quit the team on the verge of the biggest tournament in their history, describing it as a “special situation”.
But he said: “You know in Palestine under (the blockade), life is very difficult and all sports in Palestine have many problems.
“So this win in the Challenge Cup was very important to send a message to the world that we can do very well if we have space, equipment, if we can go outside (Palestine) to play.”
Veteran goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh, who kept clean sheets throughout the Challenge Cup, is likely to remain as captain when Palestine make their historic debut.
And forward Ashraf Numan, whose four goals at the Challenge Cup included the winner in the final, starts the tournament tied with Fahed Attal for the Palestinian record of 14 international goals.
However, the absence of Khalili, 2013 top-scorer in Sweden’s top flight and now with Shanghai East Asia, and Jadue – who plays for one of Chile’s biggest clubs Universidad Catolica – has caused concern, together with that of Atletico Venezuela defender Daniel Kabir Mustafa.
Palestine suffers from travel restrictions put in place by Israeli authorities, with Mahmoud saying he was missing “seven or eight” players at the Challenge Cup.
But PFA chief Jibril Al Rajoub said in December: “We have determination and we will continue no matter whether the Israelis will allow everyone to come.”
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