The Falfala beach soccer team celebrating their victory against Italy in the finals of the 2023 Euro Winners Cup. Photo: Screenshot

The Falfala beach soccer club from the Israeli Arab town of Kfar Qassem on Sunday became the first Israeli team to win the Euro Winners Cup after beating Italy’s Lenergy Pisa 5-3 in the finals of the championship held this year in Portugal.

The victory came after the team’s 9-2 over France’s Marseille in the quarterfinals of the Euro Winners Cup and a 4-2 win over Spain’s Huelva in the semifinals. The Israeli team held the lead twice in the finals against Italy with goals by Swiss goalkeeper Eliott Mounoud but Pisa each time managed to level the score. A penalty goal by Falfala’s captain and defender Amer Yatim is what ended the game in Israel’s favor.

“This is an unforgettable moment for us, a dream come true,” said Yatim, as reported by Ynet. “We’re very proud to represent Israel and the Arab community. We made history … This is the result of hard work that took many years, and it paid off for us. Every year we prepare, try to do our best, and we were successful this time.”

 

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His teammate, forward Ahmad Gabarin Jabareen, added: “No words can describe the feeling of winning the Euro Winners Cup. It wasn’t easy; but those who believe make it. In the finals, we said there was no turning back, we played against a strong team.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog congratulated the team on its historic win in a Hebrew-language Twitter post where he also called their victory “an impressive effort and an impressive achievement in a special sport.” He added, “Kfar Qassem is on the map!”

The Falfala team, established in 2007, has now won six championships. It has participated in three Euro Winners Cup tournaments and reached the match before the quarterfinals three times, according to Ynet. The team finished third place in the European championship last year.

After Sunday’s win, team owner Amer Nimer told Israel’s Channel 12, “It’s an amazing feeling that can’t be described. Joy. Something amazing that we have done for the first time in Israeli soccer,” as reported by The Times of Israel.  “There are no words,” he said. “I called my mother and father and told them: ‘I got a trophy.’ That was the most important to me.”

The team includes a number of foreign players, including Brazilian defender Deiverson Dmais and three Swiss athletes: Mounoud, forward Glenn David Hodel and defender Noel Ott.

Nimer told Channel 12 that the team was taking a two-day vacation in Istanbul, Turkey, before returning to Israel on Wednesday with their new trophy.