PARIS (Dispatches) – French Manchester United football legend Eric Cantona has teamed up with Scottish band Primal Scream, fashion brand A Number of Names (Anon) and Aida Celtic FC to help fundraise for the Palestinian refugee football team with all proceeds from sales of a new football shirt going to the team.
According to NME, the “Palestinadelica” shirt is a play on the name of Primal Scream’s third album “Screamadelica” released in 1991 and Palestine, where the Aida Refugee Camp is based. Aida Celtic FC is an initiative driven by the largely pro-Palestine, Irish nationalist fan base of Glasgow-based club Celtic FC and was established in 2019 and is managed locally and supported internationally by the Scottish club’s ultras support group, the Green Brigade.
The Green Brigade made headlines back in 2016 after Celtic was charged by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) over its supporters flying Palestinian flags at a match between Celtic and the Zionist side Hapoel Beer-Sheva in a Champions League Qualification fixture.
Voicing his support for the “Palestinadelica” project, Eric Cantona on Saturday shared a picture with his 1.1 million followers on Instagram of him wearing the football shirt with details on how to purchase it.
Cantona has previously expressed support for the Palestinian cause. Last year he backed a relief campaign for the Palestinian Medical Relief society’s emergency response to the Zionist regime’s air raids against Gaza at the time by posting a photo on Instagram alongside his wife Rachina Brakni, a French actress of Algerian origin. Both wore a “Hoping for Palestine” t-shirt, which was designed by the NGO, Hoping Foundation.
Earlier this year Cantona said he will be boycotting the FIFA World Cup due to take place next month in Qatar, criticizing the decision to host the tournament in the Persian Gulf state citing its treatment of immigrant laborers who built the stadiums, insisting that it is “not a real World Cup” and only about money.