Portraits of a City #2: Football 'n that
On arrival in Nablus, one of the first things you notice is the proliferation of Palestinian Flags. Since this flag, and even using even this combination of colours was outlawed until 1994, it's not surprising that the Palestinians use it to assert their national identity at every opportunity.
What is more surprising, however, is the frequency with which you encounter the colours of Barcelona, or Real Madrid. Usually being worn proudly by group of young boys, I am curious to know what came first, the shirts or the fandom; call me a cynic, but I suspect some savvy spanish marketers may have been promoting their clubs abroad through philanthropic gestures (ie. giving away shirts... this could well be something to do with Bacelona's agreement with UNICEF). Or perhaps this is simply a product of the fact that only the finest of European football is screened on Arabic TV.





