Palestine is on the map, at least when it comes to football. This weekend, the Palestinian national team will for the first time host an international game, in a West Bank stadium upgraded to meet the standards of FIFA, football's governing body. Until now, the decade-old team has played “home” games in Jordan and Qatar. FIFA President Sepp Blatter will attend Sunday's exhibition match against Jordan in the 6,000-seat Faisal Husseini Stadium in the town of Ram, just outside Jerusalem. The stadium was renovated for $4 million. Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association, told reporters Thursday that hosting an international match “is a historic day in the life of the Palestinian people.” Still, politics overshadowed the event. Six of the team's 26 members, including captain Saeb Jundiyeh, are still in Gaza, awaiting word from Israel on whether they will be permitted to travel to the West Bank. Israeli officials had no immediate comment on the travel request. Gaza has been virtually cut off from the world since June 2007. Gaza and the West Bank lie on opposite sides of Israel. Rajoub, a former security chief in the West Bank, on Thursday asked Hamas leaders to set up large TV screens for communal viewing of the game. The prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, is a football enthusiast. “We want to keep sports away from the political debate,” Rajoub said. “We don't want Palestinian sport to be a victim of personal agendas.” Blatter, who is attending Sunday's game as part of a four-day visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, will also open a women's football tournament. The Palestinians are ranked 180th of 207 members by FIFA, peaking at No. 115 in April 2006. – AP __
