Celtic fans present £176k cheque to Palestine charities

Thousands of fans gathered outside Celtic Park prior to the club's meeting with Hearts to see a £176,000 cheque presented to Palestinian charities.

Celtic fans protest with Palestinian flags during the win over Hapoel Beer-Sheva last August. Picture: John Devlin

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The fundraising campaign took place last year after the club were fined by Uefa for supporters displaying Palestine flags during the Champions League play-off clash with Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Entitled ‘Match the fine for Palestine’, the fan led initiative raised a whopping £176,076 with almost ten thousand people donating to the cause.

It far exceeded the €10,000 dished out by Uefa in the aftermath of the match at Celtic Park, which the hosts won 5-2 in their successful journey to the group stages of Europe’s elite competition.

The proceeds will be split evenly between two Palestine charities, Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP) and the Lajee Centre.