Athletes Push FIFA, UEFA to Ban Israel from Football over Gaza War

Turkey on Friday became the first UEFA member to openly demand Israel’s expulsion from football. Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu urged FIFA and UEFA to act, declaring that the time had come for football’s leaders to confront Israel’s brutality.

That same day, 48 professional athletes issued a joint statement calling for UEFA to suspend Israel. The group included France midfielder Paul Pogba and England cricketer Moeen Ali, speaking under the banner of Athletes 4 Peace.

“As professional athletes of diverse backgrounds, faiths, and beliefs, we believe sport must uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and humanity,” the statement read.

“We, the signatories of Athletes 4 Peace, call upon UEFA to immediately suspend Israel from all competitions until it complies with international law and ends its killing of civilians and the widespread starvation,” it continued.

The athletes also cited the killing of Suleiman al-Obeid, the legendary “Palestinian Pele,” who the Palestine Football Association said was murdered last month when Israeli forces attacked civilians waiting for food aid in southern Gaza.

Israel has been a UEFA member since 1994, after its expulsion from the Asian Football Confederation two decades earlier in a move led by Kuwait and supported by Arab nations. Israel has reached only one men’s World Cup, in 1970, when it failed to win a single match.

The United States has moved quickly to shield Israel. On Thursday, the State Department vowed to block any attempt to ban Israel’s team from the World Cup.

UEFA can bar Israel from its European competitions but cannot block FIFA-run qualifiers. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who maintains close ties with US President Donald Trump, is seen as unlikely to support a suspension. He will chair a FIFA council meeting in Zurich next Thursday.