Iraqi football team in Palestine to play friendly match

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Iraq’s national football team arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday for a friendly match -- slated for Saturday evening -- against its Palestinian counterpart.

According to a statement issued by the Palestinian Football Union, the team’s arrival was delayed by several hours due to strict Israeli security measures.

Upon its arrival, the visiting team was greeted by several Palestinian officials, including Essam al-Qaddoumi, the secretary-general of the Palestinian Higher Council for Youth and Sports.

“It’s a great honor to receive you in Palestine,” al-Qaddoumi said, addressing the visitors.

He went on to hail the close ties between the two countries and the “warm reception” that the Palestinian team received in May when it played a friendly match in Iraq’s southern city of Basra.

Before Saturday’s friendly, the Iraqi team will train at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in the town of Al-Ram northeast of Jerusalem.