Arab states call for Israel football ban — RT World News
A group of Middle Eastern football federations has reportedly called on FIFA to ban Israeli teams from competing
Football associations from more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have written to FIFA to demand a ban on Israel over its attack on Gaza, Sky News reported on Thursday.
In a letter obtained by British media, the West Asian Football Confederation, led by Prince Ali bin Al Hussein – the half-brother of Jordanian King Abdullah II – urged FIFA and member associations such as UEFA to form “A united front in isolating the Israeli Football Association from all football-related activities until these aggressive acts stop.”
The global governing body also called for a decision “A decisive stance against the atrocities committed in Palestine and war crimes in Gaza by condemning the killing of innocent civilians including players, coaches, referees and officials, [and] Destroying the football infrastructure.”
The Israeli Football Association responded by sending the letter “Sarcastic and rude” He urged football authorities to reject calls to prevent their teams from participating in international tournaments. He added: “I am confident that FIFA will not interfere in politics in football.” Nev Goldstein, CEO of the Israel Football Association, told Sky News.
He added: “We are against the involvement of politicians in football and involvement in political matters in sports in general.” He added, explaining that it was “We look forward to world peace.”
Meanwhile, UEFA Secretary General Theodor Theodoridis told the newspaper that there are currently no discussions about excluding Israeli teams from European competitions. He also denied accusations of a special approach towards Israel, given that UEFA has suspended all Russian teams over the conflict in Ukraine.
“They are completely different situations between the two countries.” claimed.
While FIFA has yet to officially respond to the letter, the organization has also faced accusations of making a politically motivated decision to ban Russian teams after the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict in 2022.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted in October after Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage. The Israeli army responded by imposing a siege on the Palestinian Strip and pledging to eliminate all Hamas fighters in the area. Gaza health officials estimate that more than 27,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Israeli response.
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