FANS are set to protest outside Dundee football club’s stadium after the club announced its men’s team will play against an Israeli side this weekend.
Dundee FC have faced fierce criticism from supporters and campaign groups after it confirmed a pre-season match against Maccabi Haifa FC on Saturday.
Supporters have criticised the club's decision, with one fan asking: “[Is] this some sort of sick joke?”
Meanwhile, others have pointed out that the city of Dundee has been twinned with Nablus, Palestine, since 1980, with the decision being described as “in stark contrast to our local heritage” by a pro-Palestine organisation.
It comes after more than 1000 Palestinian sportspeople have been killed in Israel's genocidal war since October 2023, around half of whom were footballers.
Dundee SPSC have organised a protest with Dundee supporters outside Dens Park on Friday evening over the club's decision.
A statement from the group read: “This fixture seeks to normalise apartheid and genocide in Palestine and goes against Dundee FCs own social inclusion commitments.
“In addition to this it is particularly insensitive for the city of Dundee considering Dundee is twinned with Nablus.
“Both cities have a long history and a strong sense of connection. We demand Dundee FC rethink this decision and cancel the fixture forthwith.”
Sporting infrastructure has also been decimated in Gaza, with around 290 stadiums and complexes having been destroyed or damaged by Israeli strikes.
Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card, an international grassroots campaign led by football fans, activists, and human rights advocates, told The National it was “no wonder” fans have called out their club’s decision to play Maccabi Haifa.
“Approaching three years of the current genocide, and with almost daily breaches of the ceasefire by Israel, fans are appalled that their club would normalise this by platforming an Israeli team,” a spokesperson for the group said.
They added: “By playing them, Dundee FC is sending the message that Palestinian suffering does not matter and that they are willing to be complicit in the sports-washing of war crimes.
"It is no wonder that fans have shown outrage at their club's decision.”
It has been reported that the match was arranged as Dundee and Maccabi Haifa are staying in the same Hungarian hotel, the Globall Hotel, in Telki.
Fans have aired their anger at the club’s decision, with some stating it is a “poor look for the club” while others have demanded that the game be called off.
One fan wrote: “Why are you involved with a genocide-supporting team? Embarrassed to support you!”
Nick Steff, secretary of Dundee-Nablus Twinning Association, said the local community has “deep connections” with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
“The decision of Dundee Football Club stands in stark conflict with our local heritage,” he told The Courier.
“Dundee has been officially twinned with the Palestinian city of Nablus since 1980.
“This bond reflects our shared history of solidarity, our commitment to justice, and the deep connections between people here and in the occupied West Bank.”
He added: “To proceed with this fixture shows disrespect for that long-standing relationship and for the many people in our city who uphold it.
“Playing this match will be rightly condemned.
“Football should be a force for unity, compassion, and respect – not something that normalises suffering or injustice.”
