Jerusalem: The West Bank Premier League has completed a third of the season already, and there is one team that is confident on bringing the title back to East Jerusalem.
Although in recent years, BabaGol readers and Palestinian football fans were used to see Hilal Al-Quds’ name typed to ‘East Jerusalem success’, this season it seems like another Jerusalemite club will grab the focus.
Jabel Mukaber, the team from the South-Eastern part of the city, who’s situated between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, is making some moves.
On the sixth matchday, Mukaber had their match of the season, against Shabab Balata at Faisal Husseini Stadium. What supposed to be a hard battle was finalised in three minutes at the end of the first half. Goals by Hesham Salhee and Mohammed Awesat made it 2:0 lead which Balata, with all their stars, couldn’t cope with.
After this victory, there was a great sense of relief at the club. It gave them the indication that this season, only a few teams in the league can fight them for the title.
But then they went on to play against Tubas, in the Arab-American University field, in Jenin. Tubas is a combative side, who will likely to fight against relegation, but somehow they managed to force some hard day at work for Mukaber. Ameed Sawaqta scored first for the Tubasians, and the first half ended in a surprising advantage for the small club from the North of the West Bank.
In the second half, Mukaber succeeded to complete a comeback and turned things around.
Taer Kara’in equalised on the 56th minute, and ten minutes to the final whistle, Baha Alkum scored the second and made it 1-2 to Mukaber.
This victory allowed Jabel Mukaber to retain the first place, and from now on, after this week, they are the clear favourites to win the West Bank Premier League.
Taraji Wad al-Nes is screaming for help
While Mukaber is doing well, on the other side of the table, Taraji Wad Al-Nes, is experiencing one of the hardest seasons in its history. In seven games the team couldn’t gather any point, conceding 24 goals and scoring only two in the process.
The club from the small village of 900 people, situated near the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Bethlehem county, was not too long ago one of the most prestigious clubs in Palestine and even represented the Palestinians in the AFC Cup. This year it seems that the management hasn’t invested in players. On matchday seven, Taraji conceded a severe 7-0 loss against Al-Ama’ri.
The team will now look for signings in the market to try and save what has left from this season, with the relegation battles with Thagafi Tulkarem, Tubas and al-Bireh are right behind the corner.
