Salamanca, Spain / PNN/ 

The ambition of Palestinian footballer and athlete Mohammed Amer Oudeh was to achieve significant accomplishments, especially in the field of football, a sport he had loved since childhood when he played in the alleys and streets of the refugee camp he left more than seven years ago when he departed Aida Refugee Camp, north of Bethlehem.

After arriving in Spain, Mohammed sought to improve his football skills by joining several football training courses at academies. After a few years, he became a coach at these academies and later opened his own academy, where he aimed to train Spanish children.

Oudeh stated that he was able to attain the highest football coaching qualification in the world, the "Pro" license, becoming one of the few in the Arab world to hold this distinction.

Driven by his passion for sports, Mohammed Oudeh aspired to further his athletic endeavors. His next big step was to establish a Spanish football club, which he initially hoped would carry a Palestinian name to convey the message of Palestine, though Spanish sports laws prevented that.

After years of struggle to obtain the necessary permits, Mohammed finally succeeded in securing the license, which allowed him to launch a football club. Salamanca City Club began competing in the third division and is set to participate in the Spanish King’s Cup playoffs this year.

Mohammed Oudeh mentioned that it took him five years to get approval from the Spanish Football Federation to establish the club under the name of the city of Salamanca, and the club began competing in Spain's second and third divisions.

Oudeh also noted that his club includes 19 Spanish players and three Saudi players. Currently, the club's main goal is to be promoted from the second division at the regional level.

He explained that he had attempted to bring Palestinian players to join the club. There was approval for several Palestinian players from Jenin to participate, but due to the war, everything came to a halt. He also highlighted that the club has qualified to compete in the Spanish King’s Cup.

Oudeh emphasized that this club is the second Arab-owned football club in Spain, following only one other, owned by Saudi Turki Al-Sheikh.

Oudeh clarified that Turki Al-Sheikh is the owner of UD Almeria and is officially registered with the Spanish Football Federation. Now, his own club, Salamanca City, is the second Arab-owned club in Spain, officially registered under Palestinian ownership. He affirmed that apart from these two, there are no other Arab-owned clubs in Spain.

He confirmed that the financing and support for the club come directly from him, as he owns a car rental company and a real estate company. Through these businesses, he covers the club’s expenses, including the €200,000 required for registering the club with the Spanish Football Federation.

Oudeh also pointed out that he recently received support from Saudi brothers, who began providing sponsorships and support for the club in exchange for fielding Saudi players in the Spanish league. He noted that there are promising agreements with Saudi companies to provide full sponsorship in the coming years.