Celtic fans with Palestinian flags. Reuters

GLASGOW, Scotland — At a UEFA Champions League playoff soccer game between Scotland’s Glasgow Celtic and Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva, the home fans raised Palestinian flags, defying warnings by the European football governing body. 

A Facebook page named “Fly the flag for Palestine, for Celtic, for Justice” had gained more than 800 followers before the game. 

“When someone is representing Israeli state institutions it is sadly never merely a game; football, UEFA, and Celtic FC are being used to whitewash Israel’s true nature and give this rogue state an air of normality and acceptance it should not and cannot enjoy until it’s impunity ends and it is answerable to international law and faces sanctions for the countless UN resolutions it had breached,” a post by the Facebook page reads.

Fans had been warned prior to the match that any political protest inside Celtic Park would be subject to censure from the UEFA and could result in a fine or even stadium closure.

The team may face sanctions over the fans’ behavior. 

In 2014, UEFA fined the club more than $18,000 for waving Palestinian flags during a match against Iceland’s KR Reykjavik.

Celtic beat the Israeli team 5-2.