This Football Match Between a Palestinian Team and Club Africain Revives a Memory that Tunisians and Algerians Will Never Forget
The Press — The National Liberation Front (FLN) football team was created on April 13, 1958. It was formed by professional Algerian footballers playing in France. These players made their choice and sacrificed everything, their careers, their situations, and decided to leave their clubs to join the fight for Algeria's independence. On the same day, they left France and joined Tunisia, which became their headquarters. The FLN team had decided to use football as a tool for diplomacy and resistance, to carry the cause of Algerian independence onto the international stage. Between 1958 and 1962, the team played around 80 matches around the world. It is a good omen that this Palestinian team has chosen to come to Tunisia, perhaps to open a page that future events will fill as countries that support the implementation of UN decisions calling for the creation of the Palestinian state, already recognized by most major powers, help and contribute to the realization of this objective. In the annals of contemporary history, we also remember the ping-pong diplomacy. This diplomacy refers to the exchange of ping-pong players between the United States and China in the 1970s. The event paved the way for a renewal in Sino-American relations on the occasion of the visit of American President Richard Nixon to China in 1972. Sports can lead to everything, it is said. Provided you know how to get out of it.
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The article highlights the historical significance of sports diplomacy, citing the example of the FLN football team and the ping-pong diplomacy between the US and China. It draws a parallel between these events and the recent football match between a Palestinian team and Club Africain, suggesting that sports can be a powerful tool for international relations and diplomacy.
