(JTA) โ The century-old Chilean soccer team, founded by Palestinian immigrants, qualified for the tournament's main group stage after fans accused them of accusing Israel of genocide of South America's prestigious soccer team. He was ejected from the tournament.
Club Deportivo Palestino, whose name means “Sports Club of Palestine”, competes in the highest level of Chilean professional football and wears a uniform featuring the colors of the Palestinian flag – red, green, white and black. .The team's map is drawn on the socks of the uniform. It is called “Historical Map of Palestine” It makes no distinction between Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Palestino defeated Paraguay's Club Nacional in the final round of a two-part qualifying round for the Copa Libertadores, South America's most prestigious club-level soccer tournament. They won 2-0 on March 5th and 3-1 (PK shootout) on March 12th, advancing to the group stage of this tournament for the first time since 2019.
During the March 5 match, Palestinian fans chanted “From the river to the sea Palestine will win” and held up posters that read “Stop the Genocide” in Spanish. Some fans were removed from the stadium by local police.
The winner of the tournament will qualify for the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, which will feature continental champions from each of FIFA's six confederations.
The Palestine Club was founded in Santiago in 1920 by Palestinian immigrants to Chile, which has the largest Palestinian population outside the Middle East. Some reports estimate the size of Chile's Palestinian community to be up to 500,000 people. Chile officially recognized Palestine as an independent state in 2011. It recognized Israel in 1949.
The club was fined in 2014 for using a map instead of the number 1 on the back of a player's jersey. Chile's soccer federation, which issued the fine, said at the time that it opposes “political, religious, sexual, ethnic, social and racial discrimination in any form.”
Maximiliano Gras, then head of the Chilean-Israeli Council, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in the same year that the map “provides further evidence that the ideology of the leaders of Chile's Palestinian community is extremely radical. This map denies any connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.”
Chilean officials have criticized Israel following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, and Chile recalled its ambassador from Israel in November. In January, the mayor of a Chilean city faced backlash after saying that being Jewish was a “supremacist mindset.”
The Copa Libertadores began in February, with 47 teams from 10 countries participating, including soccer powerhouses Brazil and Argentina. The group stage begins on April 2nd and the tournament continues until the championship in Buenos Aires on November 30th.