The story

It was an understated gesture, but one that reverberated around the footballing world.

When Frederic Kanoute scored for Seville against Deportivo La Coruna last week in the Copa del Rey he slowly lifted his jersey and revealed a black shirt embossed with the word 'Palestine' in various languages.

Within a few seconds it was gone but by then Kanoute, a French-born Muslim who plays for Mali, had made his political point.

It earned him a booking for lifting his shirt and, later, a €3,000 ($4,000) fine for breaking article 120 of the Spanish FA's rule book which states that "revealing messages of a religious or political nature on the pitch is strictly prohibited during the time of play." See images of footballer's political protests

Yet for many in the Arab world, Kanoute's gesture made him something of a hero. Bloggers buzzed with praise for the striker, whilst the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Spain was quick to thank Kanoute for his support. Read full article »

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