UN Experts Urge Suspension of Israel's Football Team

2025-09-24 08:08:09

(MENAFN) On Monday, UN specialists urged FIFA and UEFA to bar Israel's national football squad from global competitions, describing it as a "necessary response to address the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory."

"The conclusion of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, that Israel is committing genocide is the latest in a growing number of international bodies affirming that genocide is being committed," the experts stated.

They highlighted that the International Court of Justice's provisional order from Jan. 26, 2024, reminded all nations of their legal responsibility to intervene against genocide.

"Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual," they added.

"Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalize injustices."

The specialists clarified that their appeal is directed at the state of Israel, not individual athletes, emphasizing: "We have always maintained that individuals cannot bear the consequences of the decisions their government makes."

They also urged FIFA to "stop legitimizing the situation arising from Israel's unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," underlining: "There is a legal and moral imperative to take every measure possible to end the genocide in Gaza now."

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