Published on Jul 10, 2013
I know this is a three year old video, but the Palestino Soccer Club in Chile is an international phenomenom. Some of their players also play on the Arab (Palestinian) team, and they coach there.
Much More than Soccer
Sports
More Palestino Fans from Chile
Published on YouTube: Apr 10, 2015
A recent video of Club Palestino (Palestinian Soccer Club) Fans from Chile.
As noted elsewhere on this site, Club Palestino is a major league soccer team in Chile.
Palestinians in Chile are 99% Christian, and very prosperous. Though only 3% of the population, they are very politically powerful.
The Continuing Saga of the Soccer Jersey
This past month, international papers all over the world were reporting on the scandal that the Palestino Soccer Club of Santiago, Chile wore a soccer jersey which defined Palestine by erasing all of Israel.
The Jewish community of Chile was furious. Not just Chilean Jews, but the whole world-wide Jewish community put pressure on the Chilean Soccer Federation to get the shirt banned.
Well, finally, last week, (Click Here) it was reported that the Chilean Soccer Federation banned the jersey; and fined the club.
The Palestino team said they would pay the fine and comply.
For a while, it looked like the world Jewish community had won.
Happy ending?!
Well, not quite.
Apparently, the ruling turned on a technicality.
New Chilean club soccer shirt ‘damages Jewish-Palestine relations’
Shortly after the ban was imposed, Aguad confirmed Palestino agreed to ditch the controversial kit — which received orders from as far afield as Germany and the Middle East and increased jersey sales by 300 percent. The club also agreed to pay the US$1,300 fine and design a new jersey without appeal.
The ANFP court ruling decided Jan. 21 that the map of Palestine breached both their own and International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) regulations relating to political, racial and social discrimination. The hearing also found that the map detail broke Article 36 of the ANFP competition rules, which states digits used on shirts must be 9.8 inches in height.
The team did replace the jersey as promised; but obviously not to the satisfaction of the Jewish community.
The team is now back with a new, and equally offensive, jersey.
Note: Had to remove picture. Original picture of jersey was pulled from net. – Cleanup – July 2016
The saga continues.
New Chilean club soccer shirt ‘damages Jewish-Palestine relations’
“There are no rules against using the ancient map of Palestine on sportswear,” Aguad [Palestino President Fernando Aguad] added soon afterwards. “We are going to design a new shirt with complete liberty to include the territory of, and any symbols relating to, Palestine.”
The Palestinian community in Chile – and their team – remains defiant.
Why?
Chiefly, because the Palestinian in Chile are a very well-to-do elite; at times more powerful than the small Jewish community in Chile. They have the ability to fight back.
The problem is that they are radicalized against Israel.
This is NOT a good thing.
The Arabs have propagandized South America almost uncontested. Israel and the USA are to blame for allowing this to happen, with very little counter-spin.
Palestino Soccer Jersey Debate Continues
Posted on YouTube: January 6, 2014
Gerardo Gorodischer, President of the Jewish Community in Chile, against the Palestino Jerseys
In this post (Click Here). we discussed how a Palestinian-Chilean soccer team had caused a controversy by adopting a soccer jersey that had a map of Palestine which wiped Israel off the map.
The Palestinians in Chile are about 500,000 in number, though because of intermarriage some sources give lower figures. They are the largest Palestinian community outside of the Mideast. They are the largest CHRISTIAN-Palestinian community in the world, surpassing even the number of Palestinian-Christians in the Mideast.
About half of the world’s Palestinian Christian live in Chile. They tend to form an elite, with power far above their numbers in the Chilean population.
At 3% of Chile’s population, the Palestinians are 10% of the Chilean Senate. Almost all are Christian. The majority have ancestors who went to Chile before 1947; and who fled Muslim tyranny, not Zionism. Though some were refugees after 1948.
Most are second, third, fourth, and fifth generation Chilean. Most are only part-Palestinian. Almost all (99%+) are Christian – usually Eastern Orthodox Christian, or Roman Catholic. Most do not even speak Arabic. Though Arabic classes are spring up and many are re-discovering the Arab roots.
Yet, they are highly radicalized against Israel. Since Chile is the economic powerhouse of South America, and the Palestinians are the elites of Chile, their influence can sway a continent.
The reasons for this integrated, intermarried, and assimilated Palestian community in Chile to adopt a Palestinian cause which is today associated with Islamic radicalism are manifold and various; but frankly just amazing.
Yet, it is so!
This Uruguayan News Source, Adinet (Click Here), is reporting that the Chilean team remains defiant.
The Jewish community is furious and fighting back. They have protested to the Chilean Soccer Federation. However, the Chilean Soccer Federation said that in order to sanction the Palestino Soccer Club, another team must protest – which has not happened, yet.
This is not going away.
Chilean Society has historically been very friendly to Jewish people. In fact, they were taking in refugees from the Holocaust as late as 1940, long after most nations shut their doors to the Jews.
The Jewish community in Chile, while small, is not powerless; though it has nowhere near the clout of America’s ADL or AIPAC.
16% of Chile is pro-Zionist Evangelical Christian; and they are growing in numbers and power, as well.
While Palestinian Christians are elite and rich, they are headed for a clash with a growing Evangelical movement. This will not go away.
We shall see what happens.