A Decade of Lajee Celtic: How a Palestinian Refugee Camp Football Club Gained Global Solidarity and Celebrity Backing

Nearly 200 people recently gathered at Edami, a Lebanese bakery in east London, to mark a decade of Lajee Celtic, a grassroots sports club rooted in Aida refugee camp within the occupied West Bank. What started as a modest football initiative has blossomed into a powerful international symbol of solidarity. The London celebration featured Palestinian flags, the scent of freshly baked manousheh, and Lajee Celtic shirts worn by notable figures including football icon Eric Cantona and actor Hannah Einbinder.

Martin, an organiser for Lajee Celtic who travelled from Glasgow for the September event, first visited Aida Camp over a decade ago, calling the experience life-changing. He noted that while the project's immense success surpassed expectations, Celtic's unique foundation, Irish identity, diaspora support, and shared values helped bind the community together.

The bond between Aida Camp and Celtic supporters evolved over years. Mohammed al-Azzeh, director of the Lajee Centre, recalled visiting Glasgow in 2012 after building relationships with Scottish and Irish visitors to Palestine, sparking initial conversations about a football academy. By 2015, players from the camp travelled to Belfast for a match, setting the stage for a pivotal moment during the 2016 Champions League draw when Celtic faced Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Despite warnings, Celtic ultras known as the Green Brigade filled the stadium with Palestinian flags. Following a subsequent fine by UEFA, the Green Brigade launched the Match The Fine For Palestine campaign, directing funds to support Palestinian organisations and establish the football academy in Aida Camp. Al-Azzeh described this solidarity as the turning point that shaped Lajee Celtic into what it is today.

The club has united young Palestinians from villages around Bethlehem, various refugee camps, and communities in Hebron and Jerusalem. Currently competing in organised football for the first time, the club entered the Thousand Martyrs Cup—named after the 1,014 athletes killed in Gaza since October 2023—after previous league plans were halted by the war.

Journalist and Football Palestine founder Bassil Mikdadi highlighted that the club serves as a crucial blueprint for European fans to directly support people in Palestine. Beyond football, the project has expanded to include boxing and table tennis, offering life-changing experiences such as international travel to South Africa, where coordinator Samir al-Amir, who spent over 19 years in Israeli prisons, saw the sea for the very first time.