Chilean Palestinian Football Club fined for anti-Israel remarks

The fine was attuned to the amount of $30,000 dollars, and the disciplinary court gave a warning in the event the club attempt similar violations.

Soccer ball (illustrative) (photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
Soccer ball (illustrative)
(photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)
The Latin American Football Confederation fined the Chilean Palestinian Football Club for using an international match "to carry out unsportsmanlike demonstrations."
The fine was attuned to the amount of $30,000 dollars, and the disciplinary court gave a warning in the event the club attempt similar violations.
The official stadium spokesperson for the match against Alianza Lima of Peru called on the public to support "the liberation of Palestine."
The team is no stranger to similar infractions, a previous infraction included the team illustrating a map of Palestine instead of using the number one, displacing Israel from the illustration, and earned them a sanction handed down by the National Association of Professional Soccer of Chile -  and the Wiesenthal Center has exposed the team's purchase of a advertisement in a major newspaper calling for the demise of Israel.
The Palestinian football club in Chile was originally started by Jewish immigrants in 1920, as Jews were the only people categorized as Palestinians at the time until Israel's Independence in 1948 - whereas after that date, the club changed management and began featuring the Arab Palestinian community. Chile today, has one of the largest Palestinian communities outside of the Middle East.
"We hope that the application of sanctions will result in the leaders to dedicate only to sport as an activity that builds bridges, instead of continually using it as a means of hatred and violence. National federations and [Chile's football governing body] must work with our 11-Point Program against Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia in Sport, under the auspices of the Organization of American States and unanimous support of the 23 countries of the Latin American Parliament," said Dr. Ariel Gelblung, Representative of the Wiesenthal Center for Latin America.