Palestinian refugee camps are known for producing resistance fighters and footballers. But Israel’s ongoing onslaught in Gaza and the West Bank is erasing every aspect of Palestinian life, including sports.
BDS victory: Puma will not renew its sponsorship of Israel’s national football team.
Members of the Palestinian national team never just played to win. They played to bring Palestine to the world, and the world into Palestine.
But the new generation of aspiring footballers want to bring the World Cup home. If Morocco’s historic victories this year have taught us anything, it is that nothing is impossible.
Palestinians activists are protesting this weekend at storefronts and offices for the German athletic wear manufacturer Puma. The reason? Puma sponsors the Israel Football Association (IFA), which includes six teams in settlements in the West Bank.
Manchester Palestine Action took action Sunday in the Puma department of British retailer Sports Direct to call for a global boycott of Puma for sponsoring the Israeli Football Association, which includes teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
A body of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has slapped harsh fines on three of its member clubs, because some fans flew Palestinian flags during their games. UEFA deems the flags to be “a political, ideological, religious or provocative nature.”