[ From player demonstrations to unfurled flags, Palestinian
struggle has been visible and fearless at the World Cup. This World
Cup featured memorable performances on the pitch—and powerful
statements of solidarity with the Palestinian cause off it.]
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PALESTINE: THE UNEXPECTED STAR OF THE 2022 WORLD CUP  
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Dave Zirin and Jules Boykoff
December 7, 2022
The Nation
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_ From player demonstrations to unfurled flags, Palestinian struggle
has been visible and fearless at the World Cup. This World Cup
featured memorable performances on the pitch—and powerful statements
of solidarity with the Palestinian cause off it. _

Morocco’s players and coaches posed with a Palestinian flag after
beating Spain., Credit: Glyn Kirk/Agence France-Presse (AFP)

 

When Morocco defeated Spain in a penalty shootout, advancing to the
quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 men’s World Cup, players celebrated
by posing
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their victory photos with a Palestinian flag. This World Cup featured
memorable performances on the pitch—and powerful statements of
solidarity with the Palestinian cause off it.

The Qatar World Cup has shown us that this is an issue that cannot and
will not be silenced. In a time of a shocking resurgence of
anti-Jewish bigotry, both online and in our politics, it is important
for anyone on the left to assert and reassert that there is a galaxy
of difference between anti-Semitism, which must be opposed in every
instance, and resistance to the state of Israel. Judaism is a
several-thousand-years-old religion and culture that has withstood
efforts at physical and cultural eliminationism
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still just 74 years old—younger than either Joe Biden or Donald
Trump—is now run by a hard-right cabal that has more in common with
the new right-wing authoritarianism stalking the globe than anything
resembling a democracy.

The World Cup, for all its problems
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has proven to be a potent platform for raising the visibility of the
Palestinian people. “Free Palestine” signs have rippled in the
wind at numerous matches, as when Tunisian fans unfurled
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massive banner at their country’s first-round match against
Australia. Ahead of Morocco’s historic win over Belgium, their fans
sang
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“To our beloved Palestine, the most beautiful of all countries.”
After Morocco defeated Canada, players waved
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Palestinian flag on the field in celebration. In a match between
Tunisia and France, a pitch invader
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across the grass with a Palestinan flag in hand. Once security guards
nabbed him, fans chanted “Palestine!” as security lugged him off
the field. One fan from Egypt appeared live on television in Israel
and said
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“Viva Palestine.”

The Qatar World Cup has conjured a powerful moment of Arab solidarity.
Fans from across the Arab world have cheered on each other’s teams
while simultaneously showing support for Palestinian rights. Given the
crackdown on the Palestinian liberation struggle in much of the Arab
world and the pursuit of normalized relationships with Israel, these
are statements of national as well as regional resistance.

Although Qatar has not formalized diplomatic relations—asserting
that a Palestinian state must first be established—the Gulf
country allowed
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flights from Israel for the duration of the World Cup. Unlike
governments in Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar
did not sign on to the 2020 diplomatic agreements known as the Abraham
Accords. Still, raising the issue of Palestine in many Gulf nations is
a bracing act of rebellion.

Jared Kushner, who claimed credit [[link removed]] for
the agreement, attended the Qatar World Cup. Ivanka Trump posted a
series of photographs on Instagram
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mega-star [[link removed]] Kylian Mbappé.
One is left to wonder whether Kushner and Trump, ensconced above the
masses in their rarified VVIP suite
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heard the chants from below for Palestinian liberation.

Shireen Ahmed, the CBC senior contributor who traveled to Qatar to
cover the World Cup, told us that she had never seen so many
Palestinean flags carried by people from other countries, or so many
fans supporting Palestinian liberation. “As someone who was born and
raised in Canada and who has always had to navigate my own support for
Palestinian resistance through a lens of whitewashing the occupation
and the struggles, challenges, and cultural genocide of Palestinian
people, this was really impactful,” she said. “The whole
experience was transformative for me.”

In Qatar, Ahmed has witnessed the mainstreaming of Palestinian rights
in everyday soccer conversations. “I don’t need other people to
validate my political standpoint, but it was tremendously
validating,” she told us. “There was a sense of solidarity in
seeing all these flags being carried by people from almost every
supporters’ group. I found that to be uplifting and encouraging, and
something I really hope I see again.”

Palestine became an official member of FIFA in 1998, making the
world’s governing body for soccer one of the first international
organizations to offer formal recognition. And FIFA has largely looked
the other way as Palestinian flags pop up across World Cup stadiums,
while simultaneously cracking down
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protesters trying to lift up the issue of state repression in Iran.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has consistently run interference for
his Qatari hosts, whether by supporting the last-minute beer ban
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with yellow cards for simply wearing a “One Love” armband in
support of LGBTQ rights, thereby torpedoing the endeavor.

In a viral video
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the Qatar World Cup, a rambunctious England fan appeared on television
with two statements. First, in accordance with the popular English
phrase, he said, “Football is coming home.” Second, he exhorted,
“Free Palestine!” Turns out, whether the honchos running this
tournament wanted it or not, this latter demand has become a global
clarion call. It’s a reminder that, as brutal and oppressive as this
World Cup has been, it can also be a pedestal for justice.

_[DAVE ZIRIN is the sports editor of The Nation and the author
of The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World._

_JULES BOYKOFF  is a professor of political science at Pacific
University in Oregon and the author of four books on the Olympic
Games, most recently NOlympians: Inside the Fight Against Capitalist
Mega-Sports in Los Angeles, Tokyo
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_Copyright c 2022 The Nation. Reprinted with permission. May not be
reprinted without permission
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Distributed by PARS International Corp
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_Please support  progressive journalism. Get a digital subscription
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to The Nation for just $24.95!_

 

* Palestine
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* World Cup
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* Qatar
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* Qatar World Cup
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* soccer
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* FIFA
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* Morocco
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* international solidarity
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* Arab solidarity
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* Palestinian flags
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* Israel
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* sports and politics
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* sports
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* Sports Activism
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