A Message To The World
Shada Salhab, Palestine
Goal Click teamed up with Qatar Airways to create a new series telling the inside story of the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar – through the eyes and voices of football fans across the Arab world. Fans from Qatar to Oman, Palestine to Egypt, captured their personal experiences during the tournament, demonstrating the passion for football from these communities.
Shada Salhab, originally from Hebron in Palestine but living in Doha since 2015, told the story of what football means to her and her community, supporting the Palestinian national team, and her hopes for the 2022 World Cup.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?
My name is Shada Salhab, I was born and based in Hebron in southern Palestine. I studied Media and Journalism at Hebron university. After graduation I received a scholarship for a masters in Media and Cultural Studies at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar. After I graduated from there in 2017, I have worked as a producer for Al-Jazeera Documentary.
When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Zinedine Zidane and the Brazilian Ronaldo. I enjoy watching football matches, but not so much playing. I am a supporter of the Palestinian, Qatari and the Italian national teams.
As part of the Palestinian Fan Leader group for the Arab Cup, we aimed to support the team and encourage the Palestinian community to buy tickets and try a new experience in the stadium.
How was your experience of the Arab Cup and watching Palestine play?
It was a great experience for me to be part of the Arab nations gathering here in Qatar and to be able to visit the amazing stadiums. We cheered, sang, and supported our national team and it felt like home. Being in Qatar and having this much love for Palestine meant a lot to me.
The best moment during the Arab Cup was when I saw the Palestinian flag in the middle of the stadium, as well as the Palestinian national anthem playing, and the whole crowd hearing and singing with it.
It was such a wonderful atmosphere. Everyone in the stadium came to support, cheer, and make the stadium full of excitement, regardless of the results! We came with paintings of the Palestinian flag on our faces and wearing the national team jersey on.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning?
I wanted to encourage people to come to the stadium and show the experience of being with the crowd rather than watching the match behind the screens. If you are not here, you will miss all the details of the atmosphere and being a part of the event.
Nasser Dahbour is one of the Palestinian fan leaders. I took a photo of him while he was drumming in the stadium and making people cheer. This gentleman is very talented, and he used to be a player as well. He knows almost everything about football and writes articles about it.
Why is it so important to support the Palestinian national football team?
As a Palestinian living abroad, I like attending any events related to Palestine. I was in the Hamad bin Jassim Stadium when the Palestinian national team won against Comoros to qualify for the FIFA Arab Cup tournament. I feel that it is one of the resistance tools and methods against Israel to support the Palestinian national football team. The team is coming from Palestine while suffering from so many challenges in the world of football, but they still have hope and ambitions to take a part in the football world. This is a message to the world that the Palestinian football team is trying despite all the pressure. In addition, I am proud to tell you that the first Palestinian football team was formed in 1908 in Jerusalem.
What opportunities are there for women in football in Palestine and Qatar?
There is a women’s national team in Palestine but are not going through good times because they are not given the attention they needed to develop. In Qatar, there is a good national team that plays friendlies and competes from time to time.
What does football mean to you?
I am not into the details of football matches, but I am so excited for the experience itself. I attended every possible match during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 and can’t wait for the big event in 2022. I am proud that FIFA World Cup will be taking place for the first time in an Arabic country, so we could show the whole world our abilities to host a giant international and welcome everyone.
What ambitions do you have for the future?
I would love to be a filmmaker producing films about Palestine and its issues, and maybe one day I will make a film about the Palestine women's national football team. I will keep supporting the Palestinian national football team wherever they go, and I would love to be part of the media team for the football team at one of the international championships.
How is Qatar changing ahead of the World Cup? Do you have a message for the world ahead of the World Cup?
Many changes are happening every few months in Qatar - the Metro, transportation, events, and green spaces around the city. The FIFA Arab Cup 2021 is an appetizer for Qatar to go through the preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Let’s not forget the eight iconic stadiums which are ready to host the 2022 champions.
Qatar as a small country has succeeded in bringing together athletes from all over the world for the first time in the Middle East region. Everyone is invited to take the opportunity to come and live the experience of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. I am sure it would be such an amazing experience full of activities, hospitality, and great times.
