SCM Staff Writer I Friday, October 03, 2025
GAZA, Palestine – More than 30 international legal experts have formally urged the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to impose an immediate and complete ban on Israel and its football clubs from all competitions, citing the ongoing war in Gaza and a United Nations report alleging that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.
The demand, delivered in a letter to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, asserts that a ban is a “legal and moral imperative.” It spotlights the devastating impact of Israel’s military offensive, which has reportedly led to the killing of at least 421 Palestinian footballers since October 2023.
Rationale for the Ban: Destruction and Loss of Life
The legal experts argue that Israel’s actions amount to the erasure of a generation of athletes and the systematic destruction of the sport’s infrastructure.
Their letter detailed the extensive damage to Gaza’s football facilities, emphasizing that the failure of the Israeli Football Association (IFA) to challenge these violations implicates it in a “system of oppression,” making its continued participation in UEFA competitions “untenable.”
The calls for a suspension place UEFA under intense scrutiny to uphold international law.
The experts stress that the governing body “must not be complicit in sports-washing such flagrant breaches of international law.”
Background: The Human Cost to Palestinian Sport
The backdrop to this escalating pressure is the severe toll the conflict has taken on the Palestinian sports community.
Reports from Palestinian sports bodies indicate that the number of killed athletes and officials has reached hundreds, including the destruction of numerous stadiums and club headquarters.
In past conflicts, major sports organizations like UEFA and FIFA have faced similar ethical and political dilemmas, notably the sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, and the historical sports boycott of apartheid-era South Africa.
The current debate forces UEFA to grapple with its statutes and precedents in the face of accusations of grave international law violations, including the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as cited by a UN commission of inquiry.
The calls for a sporting boycott follow similar, recent pleas from United Nations advisory experts for both FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel, underscoring a growing international consensus that “sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual.”
The gravity of the situation continues to put pressure on UEFA’s leadership as they consider potential measures that could dramatically reshape the European football landscape.
Gaza’s athletes starved, displaced and killed as sport became a casualty of Israel’s war.
