How a soccer team in Chile with Palestinian roots gives fans reason to cheer amid Gaza war

Nahil Sadaqa loves soccer — and one of his favourite teams helps him connect with his Palestinian identity.

This club plays in Palestinian colours, its fans wave Palestinian flags, its sponsors include the Bank of Palestine and its jerseys have images of the keffiyeh and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

But the team isn't based in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank or even the Middle East. This team — Club Deportivo Palestino — plays its games more than 13,000 kilometres away in Chile.

"The Palestinian people who like playing soccer or [are] soccer fans, they know about the team," Sadaqa told CBC News from Halifax. "The people who don't know soccer or don't follow soccer, [they're] learning about this team."

Founded in 1920 by Palestinian immigrants, Palestino has become one of Chile's top soccer clubs, finishing fifth or higher in the country's first division in five of the last six seasons. The team is also a regular participant in the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's top soccer competitions.

While the Spanish-speaking players have made a name for themselves on the pitch, the Chilean team has built an international fan base for its historic connection to the Palestinian territories.

"It's not about politicians, it's not about religions, it's not about the sports. It's about humanity, it is about solidarity, it's about the main word: peace," José Nabzo, Palestino's head of communications, said in an interview from Santiago, Chile's capital.

The fan base has only grown since Israel's invasion of Gaza, which began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. In Gaza, more than 52,000