State of Play: Euro 2013, Football and Palestine

In the autumn of 2011 Philosophy Football met Honey Thalijeh, then captain of the Palestine Women’s Football team. Inspired by what she told them about what football meant to her country they promised that when Euro 2013 opened in Israel they would return to be in Palestine.

This June Israel have hosted the second biggest international team tournament in European football, the Euro 2013 Under 21′s Championship. Its the biggest international sporting event ever held in Israel. And England were thought to have a decent chance of winning. We know since they had a nightmare and many words have been written by some of our top sports journalists like Henry Winter about our pathetic displays - but little if anything was written about what was happening just a few miles from the stadiums where the tournament is being held.

But on the other side of the wall Israel built football is played and watched in Palestine under the most abnormal of conditions. Massive restrictions of movement, 24 hour surveillance and illegal settlements and land grabs, yet on the football pitch, as recognised by FIFA, Palestine plays football as a nation.

Throughout the tournament Israel has done everything it can to keep attention away from football on the Palestinian side of the wall. Philosophy Football had returned and made a film, the film, shot at the start of June will help to break this silence. The film was premiered in Ramallah at the HQ of the Palestine Olympic Association and simultaneously released on YouTube.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the British Premier, held at the Electric Film Palace in Harwich. You can view it here on 'You tube' - it will be shown tomorrow in Soho and then tour Film Festivals over the UK and Europe.



I t interested me as football can help break down barriers and borders - as a young soldier we used football coaching to build up friendship with local Bosnian children then helped organise a tournament between Serb and Bosnian Muslim children.

Last week in Turkey, supporters of the three Turkish football teams joined together to protest about the current Turkish leader.

In Italy clubs have their 'Ultra' fans - often associated with a political group- some on the 'far right' but others like Vitus Verona on the 'left'.

In England, organisations like 'Philosophy Football' have shown that supporters can join together to make a difference- you can't separate politics from sport. In the past the English Far Right have believed they have had the monopoly when it comes to attracting football supporters - but this has always been a myth it us just that organisations like the National Front and the BNP have been more vocal about their links with football groups. But it is important that those in the centre and on the left speak out. With the EDL gathering support since the murder of a soldier in Woolwich it is important that fans groups stand up and be counted and do not allow all football fans to be tarnished with the 'Far Right' EDL tag as often happened in the 70's when all fans were seen as NF foot soldiers.

The 2013/14 season will be an important one politically for football, clubs, the FA and fans from Palestine to Italy, Russia to Turkey and Sweden to Britain.

New Jerusalem (inspired by AFC Wimbledon !)

Many politicians with an interest in football will often go on about how football can build bridges- help bring peace- bring communities together and so on. I must admit to being one of those at times. It has been fantastic how the supporters movement in the UK has got it's act together and with the help of a Labour Government through Supporters Direct has began to get the fans voice heard. The success of AFC Wimbledon, FC United (formed by Man Utd supporters not happy with the selling of their club to the American Glazer family) and clubs like York City who who are run now by the supporters are just a few examples here in this country.

Internationally in recent years the image of England supporters has improved, we are no longer seen as a mob of right wing skinheads- this thanks to the work of the Football Supporters Federation and the "Fans Embassies". It is not all good as we still have an element who are just looking for trouble when going abroad.

But football and sport can also divide nations- George Orwell, was one who thought it pushed nations apart rather than built bridges, he was very scathing of football in an essay he wrote about the visit of the Soviet team Dynamo to the UK in 1946. More recently we have seen the "newer" nations like Serbia have a supporter following who just use the support of their national team as a means to push their nationalistic idea's- not only in football we have also seen it in tennis- often it is by migrants in those counties where Serbia are playing rather than those who have travelled from Serbia.

It is not all bad and the Iraq Football team winning the Asia Cup can be looked on as good news story even though a number of Iraqi's were killed whilst celebrating in Baghdad.

Where we have seen football used as a tool of peace and reconciliation is in Israel- after being inspired by AFC Wimbledon and the English supporters movement, a number of fans who were fed up with their club-Hapoel Jerusalem and how it was run tried to buy out the rich owners, they never succeeded so instead have taken over a forth tier Hapoel club and have renamed them Hapoel Katamon (Katamon was the name of Hapoel jerusalem's old ground).

The main club in Jerusalem is Beitar, and they are known as a right wing club, Hapoel means "The Worker" and originally all clubs with the title Hapoel in it were founded by the Labour Party or the trade unions. All are now in private hands. Hapoel will pick Arab-Israeli players as well as Jews and also will sign Muslims from outside Israel. They have recently run a coaching course for 100 children- 50 Israelis- half Arabs, half Jews and 50 Palestinian players. They were coached by coaches from European teams including Fulham.Hopefully Hapoel Katamon will be a football club who help bring communities together.

It is a shame then that a visit to the UK by an Under Palestine team was stopped as they thought a number of the Palestine players may decide to stay here. they did not stop the International Scout jamboree that was held in Chelmsford this Summer and a number of Scouts from all over the world are still here long after the campfire was put out.