Celtic fans raise more than £110k for Palestinian charities

Hoops supporters raised the money in an attempt to match an impending fine by Uefa for flying Palestinian flags at a football match against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

A group of Celtic fans called the Green Brigade set-up an online campaign to raise the money on gofundme.com two days ago.

“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,” read a statement on the gofundme.com page.

“We aim to raise £75,000 which will be split equally between Medical Aid Palestine (MAP) and the Lajee Centre, a Palestinian cultural centre in Aida Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem. From our members’ experiences as volunteers in Palestine we know the huge importance of both organisations’ work and have developed close contacts with them.”

Celtic won the first leg of the Champions League qualifier 5-2; the return leg will take place in the Turner Stadium, Beersheba, Israel on Tuesday.