Seventy athletes call on UEFA to suspend 'Israel' over Gaza genocide

Dozens of high-profile athletes, including former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, have signed a letter demanding that UEFA suspend 'Israel' from all football activities, citing genocide and systematic violations of international law in Gaza.

The appeal, addressed to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, was organized by the advocacy groups Game Over Israel and Athletes 4 Peace. The signatories argue that continued engagement with 'Israel' allows European football “to participate in the normalisation of genocide, apartheid, and crimes against humanity.”

In their joint statement, the athletes also denounced the participation of teams from illegal 'Israeli' settlements in national leagues, calling it “a breach of fundamental principles of international law.” They further accused UEFA of indirectly facilitating these violations through financial and institutional cooperation with the Israel Football Association (IFA).

Prominent signatories include Fulham’s Adama Traoré, Morocco’s Hakim Ziyech, Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi, and former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson.

Campaign director Ashish Prashar criticized UEFA’s delay in taking disciplinary action, saying: “For President Ceferin to pause his vote to suspend Israel from European football over a peace plan in name only is either grossly naïve or purposefully blind.”

The campaign follows a motion passed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) last week urging UEFA to suspend 'Israel'. Seventy-four members voted in favor of the resolution, while only seven opposed it. Similar initiatives have been launched in Norway and Turkey.

Reports in September indicated that most of UEFA’s executive committee had supported suspending 'Israel' before a vote was postponed after US President Donald Trump proposed a ceasefire plan.

The letter emphasizes that “no shared venue, stage, or arena in international civil society should welcome a regime that commits genocide, apartheid, and other crimes against humanity,” adding that football must follow the precedent set with apartheid South Africa, Yugoslavia, Germany, and Russia, all of which were banned from international competition for rights violations.

A potential vote on 'Israel’s' suspension could take place before the end of the month, according to The Telegraph.

UEFA’s possible move would also place added pressure on FIFA, which has so far resisted calls to sanction 'Israel' amid heavy US opposition. The US State Department has said it would “absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup.”