Women's cup final abandoned after host objects to 'football fans waving Palestine flags in the stands'
A woman's football cup final was called off after the venue 'refused to have fans waving Palestinian flags in the stands'.
The match between Clapton Community Football Club Women and Dulwich Hamlet Reserves was taking place at Maidstone United's Gallagher Stadium on Sunday.
The East London team were leading by 2-0 when the match was stopped because of protesters.
The Clacton team said that a representative from Maidstone United approached their supporters around 20 minutes into the game and called on them to stop waving a Palestinian flag.
The person objected to a banner among the Dulwich fans reading 'Show genocide the red card'.
The two teams were offered the chance to continue the match behind closed doors, but this was rejected by Clacton.
Instead, the club said in a statement, both sets of fans came together to show solidarity for Palestine.
The statement shared on the club's website said: 'Today, 32 women were denied the opportunity to play the L&SERWFL Trophy final.
'About 20 minutes into the match, both Clapton and Dulwich supporters were approached by a representative of Maidstone United, Gallagher Stadium owners.
'He demanded that our supporters must stop waving the Palestinian flag, and the Dulwich supporters must take down their banner which read 'Show genocide the red card'.
'After both groups of supporters refused, a league official walked onto the field of play to stop the game. In a discussion with the match officials, players and coaches, he communicated that we could not use the ground while both the Palestinian flag and the banner were displayed.
'Our given options were to 1) play the game behind closed doors or 2) to abandon the game.
'Clapton's players chose to abandon the game. Both sets of fans then came together in solidarity with the Palestinian people, singing more songs and holding up our banners in support of trans women and the Palestinian people, respectively.
'Our players and fans are united in their support and concern for Palestinians who are being bombed daily.
'Showing that support with a flag or banner is no reason to abandon a cup final.'
Ben Clasper, Chairman of Dulwich Hamlet FC, on Monday issued a statement saying: 'We have been told that [the decision for the game to end] was as a result of one of the representatives from the neutral venue selected to host the final objecting to the presence of flags and banners in the crowd amongst both sets of supporters.
'We have spent the last 24 hours speaking with those present and while we await the full facts of what happened, we have seen no evidence that our fans have behaved in any way other than the peaceful and dignified manner that we would expect from them, in accordance with the values of our club and that the banners on display were not new, are not in breach of any laws or rules and have been to many games before this final.
'We are very disappointed that the L&SERWFL Trophy final has ended in this fashion, and we look forward to a full explanation as to how this was allowed to happen.'
According to its website, Clapton Community FC is a '100 per cent fan-owned and fan-run' which was formed in 2018, in which there is 'no hierarchy'.
There is also no board, and the club is run by a general organising committee.
In 2021, members of the club voted to endorse and support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement which itself as a 'Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice, and equality'.
The movement accuses the Israeli government of occupying Palestinian territories, discriminating against Palestinian citizens within Israel, and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Dulwich Hamlet FC won the Football V Homophobia Award for the second time as it seeks to 'go above and beyond to support the LGBTQ+ community'.
It added in a statement about this award: 'The club's tireless work over the decades has allowed for people from all walks of life whether they are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or not to express themselves inside Champion Hill without the fear of judgement knowing that they'll always have a pink & blue home here at the Hill.'
In a statement shared on social media, the Independent Dulwich Hamlet FC Fan Group voiced their support for the protesting fans and for the club who 'refused to bend to the demands of final hosts Maidstone United FC, and every player who refused to play if the flags and banners were removed'.
The statement added: 'Sport has long played an important role in putting pressure on governments perpetrating human rights abuses, from South Africa during the apartheid era to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
'Those who argue that political protest does not belong in sport are either ignorant or are deliberately ignoring that history.
'This is particularly true in the women's game - access to the game has always been political, and even now, women continue to fight for the right to play football.
'We don't protest at our games because we think one protest in a regional football competition will change what is happening in Gaza.'
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