Chilean Club Deportivo Palestino Launches Academy in Ramallah

By Al Mayadeen
25 Sep 2021 09:31

The Chilean club Deportivo Palestino launches its first football academy in Palestine, Ramallah, to serve as a meeting and development space for children.

Palestino announced that it had plans to launch an academy, soon in Gaza.

The Chilean club Deportivo Palestino tweeted on its official account a video clip announcing the establishment of its first football academy in Ramallah, Palestine, inviting its supporters to pay a visit.

Palestino mentioned that the academy was created to serve as a meeting and development space for children in Ramallah.

In addition, the club also announced that it had plans to launch its second academy, soon in the Gaza strip.

🇵🇸 Te invitamos a conocer Palestino Academy, la primera escuela de fútbol de Palestino en Palestina. ⚽

Esta academia se creó para generar un espacio de encuentro y desarrollo de los niños y niñas en Ramallah, y pronto estará presente en Gaza. 💚#VamosPalestino 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/O2X4SLruQV
— Club Deportivo Palestino (@CDPalestinoSADP) September 23, 2021

Established in 1920 by Palestinian immigrants, the club is famous for supporting Palestine and raising awareness about the Palestinian cause. Last May, Palestino players expressed their solidarity with Palestinians in Al-Quds and Gaza by wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh as they entered the stadium before their match.

In 2014, the club replaced the 'number one' on their jerseys with an elongated map of Palestine. However, the Zionist community in Chile protested Palestino's act and accused it of "antisemitism." As a result, the Chilean Football Federation banned the news jerseys and fined the club $15,000.