Club Deportivo Palestino

Palestino
Full name Club Deportivo Palestino S.A.D.P.
Nickname(s) Tino, Árabes, Tricolor, Baisanos
Founded 20 August 1920
Ground Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna
Capacity 12,000
Chairman Fernando Aguad
Manager Pablo Guede
League Primera División
2013 11th

Club Deportivo Palestino, is a professional football club based in the city of Santiago, Chile. The club was founded in 1920 and plays in the Primera División de Chile. They play their home games at the Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna stadium, which has a capacity of approximately 12,000 seats.

History

The club was founded on 20 August 1920, when they participated in a colonial competition in Osorno. It was founded by a group of Palestinian immigrants, the name of the club reflects the origin in Chile's Palestinian community. In 1952 the Federación de Fútbol de Chile set up the first professional leagues. Palestino was accepted into the Second Division, which they won to ascertain promotion to the Primera División.

In 1955 the club won their first national championship under the coaching of Argentine captain Guillermo Coll, in that era the club became known by the nickname millonario (Millionaire) because of their ability to attract top class footballers.

In 1978 the club won their second league title, this time the team was led by Chilean captain Elías Figueroa. In this campaign they set a new record in the domestic tournament, for the number of games unbeaten and soon won the Copa Chile to claim the league and cup double.

In 2004 the club became a registered company, but the change of status did not bring the expected improvement in results. In 2006 they finished in 18th place out of 20 teams, forcing them to face a playoff against Fernandez Vial to keep their place in the top flight. Ultimately the club would triumph thus preserving their spot within the Chilean first division.

The club made a surprising run to the final of the Clausura 2008 tournament, where they lost to champions Colo Colo. Following this success, the club intends to float on the Chilean and Palestinian stock exchanges.[1]

In January 2014, Palestino was fined the equivalent of $1,300 for using a new team jersey with the club's traditional colors, red, green and black, and with the number one shaped as the map of Palestine before the creation of Israel. Chilean Jewish groups complained, with a formal complaint to their national Federation being made by Patrick Kiblisky, owner of first-division club Ñublense. The jerseys were said to have been first used in December 2013, although the club said they were used in the prior season. The federation banned the shirts and fined the club by the grounds that the Federation is opposed to "any form of political, religious, sexual, ethnic, social or racial discrimination". On its Facebook page, the club stated: "For us, free Palestine will always be historical Palestine, nothing less."[2]

National honors

1955, 1978
Runners-Up (4): 1953, 1974, 1986, 2008
1975, 1977
1952, 1972

Players

Current squad

Current squad of Palestino as of 15 September 2014 (edit)
Sources: Palestino squad at Official web site

No. Position Player
1  CHI GK Darío Melo
2  CHI DF Paulo Díaz
3  ARG DF Germán Lanaro
4  CHI DF Alejandro Contreras
5  ARG MF Agustín Farías
6  CHI MF Alejandro Márquez
7  CHI DF Diego Rosende
8  CHI MF César Valenzuela
9  CHI FW Renato Ramos
10  CHI MF Jason Silva
11  URU FW Diego Cháves
12  CHI GK José Quezada
13  ARG FW Marcos Riquelme
14  CHI DF Byron Saavedra
No. Position Player
15  CHI MF Leonardo Valencia
16  CHI FW Fabián Ahumada
17  CHI MF Esteban Carvajal
18  CHI MF José Sagredo
19  CHI DF Jorge Schwager
21  CHI MF Marcelo Morales
22  ARG DF Matías Escudero
23  CHI MF Mathías Vidangossy
25  CHI MF Ignacio Ayala
26  CHI MF Diego Torres
27  CHI FW Jorge Guajardo
28  CHI DF Felipe Campos
29  CHI MF Jonathan Cantillana

Manager: Pablo Guede

Former managers

  • Chile Humberto Diaz (1973)
  • Chile Caupolicán Peña (1974–76)
  • Chile Fernando Riera (1977)
  • Chile Caupolicán Peña (1977–80)
  • Chile Gustavo Cortés (1980)
  • Chile Mario Tuane (1980–81)
  • Chile Gustavo Cortés (1981–83)
  • Chile Sacha Mitzjaew (1984)
  • Brazil Elson Beiruth (1984)
  • Chile Gustavo Cortés (1984–85)
  • Chile Victor Manuel Castañeda (1986)
  • Chile Orlando Aravena (1986–87)
  • Chile Victor Manuel Castañeda (1988)
  • Chile Luis Ibarra (1988)
  • Chile Eugenio Jara (1988–89)
  • Chile Orlando Aravena (1989)
  • Chile Victor Manuel Castañeda (1989)
  • Chile Guillermo Duarte (1990)
  • Chile Manuel Pellegrini (1990)
  • Chile Jorge Zelada (1991)
  • Chile Manuel Pellegrini (1991–92)
  • Argentina Fernando Cavalleri (1992)
  • Chile Gustavo Cortés (1992–93)
  • Argentina Ricardo Dabrowski (1993)

See also

References

External links