FA to ask amateur football club to remove Palestine corner flags

One of the Palestine corner flags used by Queens Park Crescents on Sunday. Photograph: QPCFC

The Football Association will ask an amateur club to remove the ­Palestine corner flags that led to their under-eights match being called off on Sunday.

Queens Park Crescents have maintained they had approval to display the flags when they hosted Wixams Wanderers. The game, which was under the ­jurisdiction of the Bedfordshire FA, did not go ahead after a parent whose child plays for Wixams Wanderers asked for the flags to be removed before kick-off.

The parent, who is Jewish and Israeli, told representatives from the opposing team that the display made him and his child feel ­uncomfortable. It is understood that QPCFC coaches took the flags down, only for another member of club staff to put them up again. QPCFC officials said they had permission from the local FA to display the Palestinian flags.

Wixams, who have declined to comment, decided to walk away in solidarity with their player. The Bedfordshire FA has not responded to enquiries about whether it gave permission for the colours of the corner flags to be altered.

QPCFC said on X that the ­cancellation gave them an ­opportunity to highlight the “­gravity of the situation” in Gaza.

Today, our U8s coach told us the opposing team forfeited the game over our Palestine corner flags. No issue with displaying them; confirmed with the FA. However, we view this incident as an opportunity to enlighten our followers about the gravity of the situation. pic.twitter.com/zu6YaiaLFa

— Queens Park Crescents FC (@QPCrescents) March 10, 2024

Antisemitism campaigners were made aware of the issue on Monday and the matter was investigated by the national FA. A figure involved in tackling antisemitism said Israel and ­Palestine flags have not been ­permitted to be used at any level of English football since the terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October.

The FA said: “We want children to be able to play football in a safe and welcoming environment. We have been made aware of the ­incident at the weekend and we will be ­contacting the club to ask them to remove these corner flags for future matches.”