Activists renew calls for football ban on Israel despite Gaza ceasefire

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Activists run to suspend Israel from European football, calling for accountability for genocide.

Published On 11 Oct 2025

Calls for Israel’s suspension from European shot person been renewed a time aft the ceasefire successful Gaza came into effect and arsenic the Israeli squad has resumed its qualification run for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The quality rights run radical Game Over Israel urged UEFA connected Saturday to suspend Israel until it ends its abuses against Palestinians.

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With the ceasefire successful Gaza coming into effect connected Friday, Ashish Prashar, a run manager astatine Game Over Israel, stressed the request to clasp Israel accountable for its conduct.

He said Israel has “no spot successful planetary football” aft the horrors it unleashed connected Gaza, which starring rights groups and United Nations investigators person described as a genocide.

“Even if bombs and bullets stop, genocide is simply a transgression against humanity and possibly the gravest transgression a authorities oregon task tin commit,” Prashar told Al Jazeera.

“Remember what Europe did aft World War II. Nazi Germany was suspended from football, and the Nuremberg trials took place.”

Game Over Israel has been utilizing billboards successful large cities crossed the satellite to thrust location that message. The latest billboard was revealed successful Milan and addressed to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.

“Israel is committing genocide. Suspend Israel now. It’s your motivation obligation,” it said.

The run besides conveyed the aforesaid connection successful a full-page advertisement successful the Los Angeles Times connected Saturday.

From Times Square to MILAN 🇮🇹, shot fans person had ENOUGH! ‼️😡 Stop allowing shot to sports-wash genocide. The satellite sees done it and we’re demanding a afloat Israeli boycott crossed football. The Federations can’t fell anymore. Suspend Israel.#GameOverIsrael @UEFA pic.twitter.com/pbQSmn1pia

— gameoverisrael (@gameover_israel) October 11, 2025

John Dugard, erstwhile UN peculiar rapporteur connected Palestine, said it remains legally indispensable and urgent for UEFA to prohibition the Israel Football Association (IFA).

“By continuing to big Israeli teams, UEFA risks becoming complicit successful the normalisation of warfare crimes,” Dugard said successful a statement.

“We impulse you to uphold the integrity of the athletics and instantly suspend the IFA and each affiliated teams from UEFA competitions until Israel ends the genocide and its unlawful occupation, and afloat complies with its obligations nether planetary law.”

In summation to the atrocities successful Gaza, Israel allows teams based successful settlements successful the occupied West Bank, which are amerciable nether planetary law, to vie successful its nonrecreational leagues successful usurpation of FIFA rules.

“Member associations and their clubs whitethorn not play connected the territory of different subordinate relation without the latter’s approval,” FIFA statutes read.

There is planetary consensus, backed by UN resolutions and International Court of Justice opinions, that the West Bank is Palestinian territory illegally occupied by Israel.

Both FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia days aft it launched its full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022.

“Mass imprisonment is simply a reddish line. Systematic torture is simply a reddish line. Illegal concern is simply a reddish line. Apartheid is simply a reddish line. And genocide is the reddest enactment of all,” erstwhile UN authoritative Craig Mokhiber said successful a statement.

“Israel has crossed excessively galore of humanity’s reddish lines to beryllium granted a pass. To normalise this present would mean complicity successful shepherding successful a caller epoch of fearfulness for our world.”

This month, much than 30 ineligible scholars penned a missive to Ceferin emphasising the request to prohibition Israel.

Hundreds of Norwegian fans protested against Israel earlier their nationalist team’s crippled against Israel connected Saturday, waving Palestinian flags and banners accusing Israel of apartheid and genocide.

The lucifer ended successful a thumping 5-0 triumph for Norway. Israel present sits successful 3rd spot successful Group I of the UEFA qualifiers earlier its lucifer against Italy connected Tuesday and has a razor-thin accidental of booking a playoff spot for the World Cup.

The United States, which volition co-host adjacent year’s tourney alongside Canada and Mexico, has said it volition block immoderate attempts to prohibition Israel from the World Cup should it qualify.

Israel has ne'er qualified for the FIFA World Cup connected a European quota. It did truthful successful 1970 from Asia.

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