Club Deportivo Palestino won the 2018 Chilean Cup on 17 November. In the final, they beat Audax Club Deportivo Italiano by 3 goals to 2. Roberto Kettlun, a former professional football player who is currently the sports manager of the club, was delighted with this success. It should be noted that Roberto is one of the current students attending the FIFA/CIES Executive Programme organised in cooperation with Universidad Santo Tomás (UST) in Santiago de Chile.
As its name indicates, Palestino - as it is referred to by football fans in Chile - was founded in 1920 by immigrants from Palestine who were eager to become fully integrated into their new country thanks to football. The club turned professional in 1952 and this is the first time it has carried off a national title in forty years. The match was won on their home turf, in their very own La Cisterna stadium. Previously, the club had won the title of national champions in 1955 and in 1978 and the Chilean Cup twice, in 1975 and 1977.
After starting a professional career in 2001 with the Chilean club Universidad Católica, Roberto Kettlun played for Palestino and Union Española teams. He was also active in Greece, Italy and Palestine, where he played matches with the U23 team and for the national team as well as for Hilal Al-Quds and Ali Al-Khaleel clubs.
Speaking on the recent success of Palestino, Roberto confirmed his great satisfaction. “This result gives substance to my passion for football. Clearly, this victory marks a great day in my life as an athlete but also as a human being… It is the result of all the efforts made to create a strong technical structure and to train young players, with the ambition to win whatever the odds. Another source of satisfaction is that we will soon be back on the international football scene as we will play the 2019 edition of the Copa Libertadores.”
Beyond his daily work as a manager, Roberto considers that training is absolutely essential. “I was very fortunate to attend classes at the Technical Centre of the Italian Football Federation in Coverciano. Now, I am completing that knowledge thanks to the UST/FIFA/CIES Executive Programme. We cannot learn only from our experience in the field. We also need to structure our knowledge by means of concepts”, he said. He then mischievously added, “But the opposite is also true. Theory alone is not enough. We need to put theory into practice and I am lucky to be able to do that in my club!”
We send our congratulations to Roberto and wish him many more victories with Palestino!