Greg . 2 days ago

UEFA announce two children from Palestine to take part in Super Cup medal ceremony

Just hours before kick-off in the Super Cup, football's European governing body UEFA have revealed that two children from Palestine will take part in the medal ceremony following the game between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday in Udine.

The children, Tala, aged 12, and Mohamed, nine, will join UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on the podium as the players are handed their medals following the game.

It comes just days after Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah questioned the organisation for their vague tribute to the late Suleiman al-Obeid, also known as the 'Palestinian Pele', who was killed in Gaza whilst waiting for aid.

The Egyptian asked: "Can you tell us how he passed away, where, and why?" following the tweet by UEFA's official account, given Israel's current occupation of Gaza following the October 7th attacks in 2023 by Hamas that saw more than 150 Israelis lose their lives.

Meanwhile, according to Gaza's health ministry, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed.

In a statement, UEFA said ahead of tonight's match: "12-year-old Tala is a young Palestinian girl with fragile health who was transferred to Milan to receive appropriate medical care, as adequate equipment was lacking in Gaza after the start of the war.

"Tala will be joined on the podium by nine-year-old Mohamed, who lost his parents during the war and was severely injured following an air strike.

 "Due to the seriousness of his condition and his young age, Mohamed and his grandmother were fortunate enough to leave Gaza and were welcomed in Milan, where Mohamed is currently undergoing medical treatment.

"Alongside this, nine child refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Palestine and Ukraine will display a banner during the game's opening ceremony saying: “STOP KILLING CHILDREN – STOP KILLING CIVILIANS”.

The nine children are beneficiaries of one of UEFA's official UEFA Foundation for Children partners, Inter Campus, a foundation active, among other areas, in social integration among differing ethnic groups and cultures.

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