Full name | Club Deportivo Palestino S.A.D.P. |
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Nickname(s) | Tino, Árabes, Tricolor, Baisanos |
Founded | 20 August 1920 |
Ground | Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna |
Capacity | 12,000 |
Chairman | Jorge Uauy |
Coach | Germán Cavalieri |
League | Campeonato Nacional |
2015–16 | Apertura: 4th Liguilla Apertura: Finalist Clausura: 4th Liguilla Clausura: Already qualified Overall: 3rd |
Website | Club home page |
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.
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 play-off 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.