2023-09-19 05:00:26
The story of the Bnei Sakhnin Football Association team reflects a confrontation with Israeli racism. From the villages and neighborhoods marginalized by the Nakba, the policies that followed, and the complete absence of capabilities, the team reached the top of the Israeli league in a journey not without hardship and confrontation that is not limited to the stadiums.
Sakhnin, the town whose name was associated with the defense of its confiscated land in 1976, whose football team, “Sons of Sakhnin,” is the first and only Arab team to play in the Premier Division of the Israeli Football League.
“Has a patriotic, nationalistic, cultural tendency.”
The spokesman for the Ibn Sakhnin Union Club, Munther Khalayla, points out that the world of sports in Sakhnin consisted of two football teams, and in 1993 the idea of establishing one team was put forward, and the Ibn Sakhnin Union Club was born by joining the two teams. And from here began the series of successes.
He points out that the club was promoted every three years, and then the historic achievement came in 2003 when it rose to the top flight.
He points out, “The most prominent challenge we faced in the first years was survival. The club’s absence from the social stage and Israeli football will bring down the curtain on something big in Arab society.”
In addition, Khalayla believes that the Sons of Sakhnin Union transferred the Arab sector to the Hebrew media, through which it became known that there are still dirt streets.
He stresses that the Sons of Sakhnin Union is not just a football team, as it carries a patriotic, nationalistic, cultural tendency, and is an institution that carries within it the strong emotions of the old, the young, and the child.
He explains that the club has had different and volunteer administrations over the course of 30 years. No administrator receives money, but rather pays from his own pocket and his valuable time, he says.
He added, “The club was always in safe hands that knew how to develop it further and endear it more to the hearts of people and society.”
“Palestinian Ibn Arab 48”
For his part, the captain of the Ittihad Sons of Sakhnin Club, Bayram Kayal, who is from the village of Jdeidet Al-Makr, says in introducing himself: “I am the boy who dreamed of reaching the world and was able from very small places to reach the Premier League and a team like Celtic and Brighton, and today I am fulfilling that dream.” Leading the Ibn Sakhnin national team, the Arab team at home.”
He added: “I am proud of my career and I try to help emerging youth and give them some of my experience. During my journey, my concern has always been to say that I am Bayram Kayal, a Palestinian, son of the 48 Arabs.”
Sakhnin, the town whose name was associated with the defense of its confiscated land in 1976. Its football team, “Sons of Sakhnin,” is the first and only Arab team to play in the Premier Division of the Israeli Football League.
He recalls the insults he and his team received when playing on Teddy’s fields, targeting the Islamic religion and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and calls to burn the village from which the players came.
He commented by saying: “These things were hurting us, so when we reached the press we had to show who we are and not be silent in front of the camera and say: I am proudly an Arab from the 1940s,” stressing that “the struggle is also through sports and art.”
Racism once morest the Sons of Sakhnin Union
In addition, Doha Stadium, which was built more than a decade ago with support from the State of Qatar, is considered the Al-Bayt Stadium for the Ittihad Sakhnin team, and it witnesses most of the internal matches held by the team, as well as other huge and enthusiastic matches.
Maroun Ghantous, a player in the Bnei Sakhnin Football Club, draws attention to the huge crowds that come to watch the matches, some of which reach regarding 12,000 spectators, while the stadium can accommodate only 7,000.
He talks regarding the penalties imposed on the club, including closing the stadium for a full year, stressing that we do not deserve these penalties.
He stops at the matches between the “Sakhnin” team and the “Beitar Jerusalem” team, which include insults from the latter’s fans. He says that as a Christian, he is disturbed by the chants targeting the Prophet Muhammad, so what regarding his Muslim colleagues, who are his brothers.
For his part, the president of the Sons of Sakhnin Union Club, Muhammad Abu Younis, points out that “the Sons of Sakhnin Union is more than a club,” adding that it is “a sports, educational, social, and political institution that has a presence in the Arab and Jewish community as well.”
While he stresses that each match has its importance, weight, and considerations, he points out that the Bnai Sakhnin Federation views the matter as an Arab team and from a different perspective.
He stresses that “discrimination is clear, and matches often take on a political nature,” noting that “Beitar Jerusalem” is the most racist team, but it is not the only one, as there are other racist teams.
He says that we see this in the stadiums and in the behavior of the racist fans, where the most important thing for them is to win once morest the Bnei Sakhnin Union team, regardless of the way they managed to do so.
The former player in the Ittihad Sons of Sakhnin Club, Abbas Sawan, commented on the club’s victory in the State Cup, which he said “has a special luster that explodes years of suppression in the Arab community as a whole.”
He remembers the day this achievement was achieved, saying that every town we passed through would stop the team to celebrate with them by dancing and distributing sweets.
He points out that in some matches we play once morest racism and once morest people who insult the Prophet and the Arabism of the players.
Support from all Arab sectors
In the opinion of Mufleh Shalata, a player in the Sons of Sakhnin club, Sakhnin is football in the Arab world, as he explains that those who come to encourage and support the team are not only from Sakhnin but from the whole country.
Mufleh’s love for sports stemmed from his father and grandfather, and with their encouragement, he entered this world, which he aspires to continue in. Al-Arabi’s camera that entered his house conveyed the supportive, encouraging, and football-loving family atmosphere.
His grandfather, Mufleh, who passed on to him his name and his love for football, and who was also a player in the Ittihad Sons of Sakhnin Club, tells of his love for football, and says that his son Hossam following him played football, and then his grandchildren, who attended their training.
The same supporting scene is from the home of player Maroun Ghantous, which indicates the audience’s interaction with the match played by the Bnei Sakhnin Union.
“Al-Arabi” attended the match and his camera was on the field and on the stands to monitor the crowd’s cheers and enthusiasm.
The team’s matches become an attraction not only for the people of Sakhnin, but also for dozens of young men coming from different areas within the Green Line.
Young fans express their love for the Bnai Sakhnin Union team, “the only Arab team that we put all our feelings into supporting,” as one of them says.
Another confirms that the Sakhnin Sons Union team is a national cause and more than one affiliation, but rather a family for every Sakhnin fan. Whoever comes to watch the match comes as a son of the team, whether he is from Sakhnin or from the entire Arab community.
More testimonies from fans of the Bnei Sakhnin Union team, and a look at the club’s organizational, logistical and financial reality in the attached episode of “Eye of the Place”.
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