The Crew’s supporters section, The Nordecke, will be allowed to display the Palestinian flag, along with other nations’ flags that represent Crew players, as MLS has given the club an exemption to its current signs, flags and banners policy.
When the Crew signed their newest designated player, Wessam Abou Ali, the organization submitted a request on behalf of The Nordecke that would allow an exemption to display the national flags of Crew players’ home countries or national team.
“The Columbus Crew embrace soccer’s power to bring together people from all walks of life in our locker rooms, stadium and community,” a Crew spokesperson said in a statement.
The exemption from MLS would allow The Nordecke to display one flag from each player’s birth country or senior national team in a designated section at Lower.com Field. No other flags will be allowed outside the designated section, with fans still expected to follow MLS’ flag policy.
The Palestinian flag would represent Abou Ali’s national team, for which he started competing in 2024. Other flags that could be included are Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Cape Verde, Denmark, Finland, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Hungary, Liberia, Nigeria, Ukraine, United States and Uruguay.
On Oct. 14, 2023, following Hamas’ attack on Israel, MLS implemented a policy for the first time that prohibited fans from bringing flags unless they were already established as flags hung up within a team’s venue.
The exemption could go into effect as early as the Crew’s upcoming home game against New England Revolution on Aug. 23.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: With Wessam Abou Ali signing, MLS allows Palestinian flag at Columbus Crew games
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
