The footballing lives of Handala

Palestine solidarity gestures have multiplied in football—often referring to Handala, an iconic cartoon character and symbol of hope

~ Yann Dey-Helle, Dialectik Football ~

At MetLife Stadium in suburban New York, Wessam Abou Ali recently celebrated his second goal against FC Porto by posing with one hand behind his back and the other making the victory sign. A nod to Handala, a character created in 1969 by cartoonist Naji al-Ali, who first appeared in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah. Handala is inspired by Naji al-Ali’s own experience, forced to leave his home in the village of Al-Sharaja in Palestine in 1948 during the Nakba.

“This little barefoot child is a symbol of my childhood. He is the same age I was when I left Palestine, and even though it was 35 years ago, I am still that age today”, the cartoonist explained in an interview with Egyptian novelist Radwa Ashour, published in 1985 in the newspaper Al Muwagaha. “I still remember the details. I remember every plant, every stone, every house, and every tree I passed as a child in Palestine”!

Initially, Handala was depicted facing forward, but starting in 1973, Naji al-Ali chose to portray him from behind with his hands clasped. A form of silent rebellion. While Handala turns his back on the audience, his gaze is turned toward Palestine, where he will return. The popular character outlived his creator, who was assassinated in London in August 1987. Naji al-Ali was a strong critic of the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. This long led to him being considered a pariah.

Egyptian football at the forefront

Since the first massive Israeli army bombardments of the Gaza Strip in October 2023, “Handala-style” goal celebrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people have multiplied. Bordering Egypt was the cradle of this movement, initiated by players of the U20 national team. During the U20 women’s match against Sao Tome Principe, striker Hala Mostafa also mimed Handala after scoring.

Before Wessam Abou Ali, Zamalek players celebrated their goals in this manner during a big victory against Smouha SC in the Egyptian Premier League. Photos of Zizo and captain Shikabala had made an impression. A few days earlier, on the pitch of Tanzanian team Simba SC in the African Champions League, Al Ahly players had done the same, under the gaze of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. But this gesture had already been seen on a football pitch. According to the Egyptian Chronicles website , this type of celebration first appeared in May 2021, with attacking midfielder Ahmed Abdelkader of Smouha SC, during a match against Al Entag Al Harby.

It was already a way of showing support for the Palestinian people in the face of the deadly Israeli army bombardments of Gaza. At the time, few people would have understood this gesture until the Palestinian embassy in Cairo highlighted its significance and thanked Ahmed Abdelkader.

Handala censored by DAZN and FIFA?

While Palestinian flags and messages for Gaza have been spotted in several stands in Europe and the Maghreb, Handala’s appearances are rarer outside of Egyptian stadiums. One example is CD Palestino’s Felipe Chamorro’s celebration of one of his Copa Libertadores goals against Millonarios in April 2024. It’s quite logical to see this reference to Handala from the historic club of the Palestinian community in Chile, and it’s not a complete surprise.

In recent years, supporters have also been seen using Handala, such as the ultras of Club Africain in Tunisia, or those of Bnei Sakhnin FC, an Arab club in the Israeli D1. In a recent song, entitled “Al-Qadiyya”, Raja Casablanca supporters express their attachment to Palestine. The lyrics pay tribute to Mohammed al-Durrah, a child martyr killed by the Israeli army in September 2000 during the second Intifada, and to the iconic figure of Naji al-Ali: “We live the spirit of Handala, a symbol of pride and dignity, Gaza, Hebron, and Ramallah”.

During the Club World Cup, Wessam Abou Ali’s celebration was crudely framed by the broadcaster in its summary of the Al Ahly-Porto match. This discreet censorship was rectified on social media, where Abou Ali’s image was widely republished and commented on. Shortly before the competition, the organization had also deleted the official photos of his teammate Hussein El Shahat, replacing him with a simple “Free Palestine” bracelet. As journalist Leyla Hamed recently wrote on X, “FIFA is not only silent on the genocide, it is gagging anyone who talks about it”. Handala has seen it all.

Machine translation

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