AN art installation in a Glasgow park has paid tribute to the hundreds of Palestinian footballers killed by Israel.
The display, organised by the Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card campaign group, memorialised the “567 gifted footballers [who] have been killed since October 2023”.
Two weeks ago, 32-year-old Saleem Al-Ashqar – who played as a goalkeeper for Khan Younis-based club Khadamat Khan – was killed by live fire while stopping at a shop on the way home from work, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said.
On Friday, Amnesty International said that Israeli forces have killed at least 1007 Palestinian athletes and sports professionals and destroyed more than 260 sports facilities since October 2023.
“Players have been killed. Pitches reduced to rubble. Teams scattered. Careers cut short,” the charity said.
The art installation in Glasgow’s Cathkin Park paid tribute to the “gifted athletes lost to a brutal genocide in front of the whole world”.
While the world watches the corrupt World Cup, Palestinian footballers are still being murdered by the israeli occupation. 567 gifted footballers have been killed since October 2023. Please don't look away and forget these lives as the world turns to watch the WC final. 💔🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/1NO93FGpEz
— Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card (@RedCardGlasgow) July 17, 2026
A huge Palestinian flag with the words “567 murdered” was unveiled, alongside a football marked by red handprints, and signs saying “Stop the game”.
The Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card group wrote: “While the world watches the corrupt World Cup, Palestinian footballers are still being murdered by the Israeli occupation. 567 gifted footballers have been killed since October 2023.
“Please don't look away and forget these lives as the world turns to watch the WC final.”
Previously, Amnesty and the Palestinian Football Association have both called for Israeli teams to be barred from Fifa competitions, noting that there are at least six teams based in illegal settlements who play in the Israeli leagues.
In March, Fifa said it would take “no action” against the Israel Football Association, claiming that the “final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter”.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice – the principal judicial organ of the United Nations – issued an advisory ruling saying that Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territories like Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank is “illegal”.
