(Al-Jazeera-Qatar) Jonathan Cook - The Bnei Sakhnin soccer team has become the first Arab squad to represent Israel in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Cup European championship. As Sakhnin romped to a 3-0 victory in their first match against the Albanian Partizani Tirana, the club's Jewish coach announced: "This team is making history and I want to be a part of it." Sakhnin's exploits have attracted the attention of fans in the Arab world, a break with the traditional ostracism of Israel's Arab citizens by other Arab nations, which tend to assume that they have collaborated with the Jewish state. Several Gulf states are reported to have offered funding.
2004-08-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive