The Frenchman recently called for “peace and love” in the war-torn region (Image: Getty)
Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and Amad Diallo carried a Palestinian flag around Old Trafford during the season-end lap of honor following a 1-1 draw with Fulham on Tuesday.
The Red Devils, who will finish second in the Premier League this season, played in front of 10,000 fans as the easing of lockdown restrictions in England allowed a small fraction of fans to return to the stadiums.
United played their last home game of the season but traveled to Wolves in their final Premier League game on Sunday and then to Gdansk for the Europa League final against Villarreal.
Pogba held up the Palestine flag as he completed his lap of honor (Image: Getty)
It is common for players to walk around on the floor after the game, with Pogba holding up a Palestinian flag and young Diallo joining him later.
The French international Pogba has already shown his support for the Palestinian people on social media and wrote last week: “The world needs peace and love. It will be oath soon. Let’s all love #PrayForPalestine. ‘
He repeated this message on Tuesday, saying, “Let’s keep our world safe and free from violence. Pray for Palestine. ‘
Pogba is the most famous Premier League player who has shown solidarity with Palestine during the current conflict in the Middle East, although he is not alone in his support.
When asked about the support from Pogba and Diallo, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “I think we have players from different backgrounds, different cultures, different countries and I think we have to respect their views when they are different from others .
“When my players think about things other than football, it’s a positive thing, and we’ve seen it before with some players who are important to them [things]. Look at Marcus Rashford, the difference he made. So we respect their right to take a different view. ‘
Following Leicester City’s FA Cup win over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, Wesley Fofana and Hamza Choudhury also displayed a Palestinian flag as they collected their winners’ medals.
Although political messages in the past have resulted in penalties for players – on undershirts, for example – The Athletic reports that Pogba, Diallo, Fofana, Choudhury and anyone else who displays a Palestinian flag are not subject to sanctions.
Premier League players will not be sanctioned for showing Palestine flags after the Games (Image: Getty).
The FA does not penalize players for displaying the flags of the nations after a game – and in fact, many wear bracelets in their country’s color – so players have the option to display Palestinian or Israeli flags if they so choose.
It could be a different story if Pogba flies the flag of Palestine after the Europa League final and the teams have been punished by UEFA for political messages in the past.
In 2016, Celtic were fined and fined £ 8,616 for hoisting a Palestinian flag during a Champions League clash with Israeli club Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
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