Paris Saint-Germain fans displayed a massive “Free Palestine” banner before their Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, just over a week before France faces Israel in a Nations League match in Paris.
The banner, covering an entire floor-to-ceiling section, featured the Dome of the Rock—a prominent symbol in Palestinian iconography. The letter “i” in “Free Palestine” depicted a map encompassing all of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, with the Palestinian keffiyeh pattern. Below, a message read: “War on the pitch, but peace in the world.”
PSG, whose majority ownership is linked to the Qatari government, stated they were unaware of any plan to display the banner. The display also included a Palestinian flag and a child wearing a shirt featuring symbols from the Lebanese flag, referencing Israel’s current conflict with Hezbollah.