BILBAO, Spain (AP) – Selected Palestinian soccer players played against the Spanish team from the Basque Country on Saturday in a friendly match with political overtones related to Israel’s military action in Gaza.
Organizers said around 50,000 people had tickets for the match at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium.
Many fans waved the Palestinian flag and the flag of the northern Basque country. Thousands of people marched with flags before the game.
Spain saw large-scale protests Opposes Israel’s military response to the October 2023 Hamas attack.
Bilbao became the site of the first of a series of large-scale protests Against an Israeli-owned cycling team At the Vuelta in Spain in September.
The Basque team included players from Athletic and Real Sociedad, as well as other professional teams. The Spanish soccer player was unable to participate as he was in the midst of qualifying for the World Cup.
The Palestinian team will also play in Barcelona on Tuesday against players from the Catalonia region in northeastern Spain.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
