UPDATED: The GoFundMe appeal from the Green Brigade has now raised over £87,000 of their target goal of £90,000.
CELTIC fans have tripled their initial target of raising £15,000 for Palestinian charities in a bid to match an impending Uefa fine for the club.
The European governing body last week launched disciplinary proceedings against the Glasgow club after a number of fans displayed Palestine flags during their 5-2 home Champions League victory against Israel’s Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
The Green Brigade group of supporters subsequently launched an appeal on the Gofundme website to match Uefa’s fine and they hit the £45,000 mark on Monday, a day after the fund was set up.
The fans are raising money for Medical Aid Palestine, which delivers health and medical care to those “worst affected by conflict, occupation and displacement”; and the Lajee Centre, a cultural and sports project for children in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem.
Cat Boyd: You cannot keep politics out of sport ... Uefa's ban on the Palestinian flag is hyper political
The appeal read: “At the Champions League match with Hapoel Beer Sheva on 17 August, 2016, the Green Brigade and fans throughout Celtic Park flew the flag for Palestine.
“This act of solidarity has earned Celtic respect and acclaim throughout the world. It has also attracted a disciplinary charge from Uefa, which deems the Palestinian flag to be an ‘illicit banner’.
“In response to this petty and politically partisan act by European football’s governing body, we are determined to make a positive contribution to the game and today launch a campaign to #matchthefineforpalestine.”
The statement added that the money would help buy football kit and equipment to enable the refugee camp to have a team in the Bethlehem youth league.
Celtic face their ninth Uefa punishment for supporter behaviour in five years when the case is heard on September 22, which includes a fine of more than £15,000 two years ago after a Palestine flag was displayed at a Champions League qualifier against KR Reykjavik.
The Uefa rule in question forbids the use of “gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative nature’’.
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