September 30 – Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure and former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech are among 50 professional athletes who have called on European governing body UEFA to suspend Israel.
In a letter, coordinated by Nujum Sports, the representative body for Muslim athletes in the UK, the coalition has demanded the continental confederation act against Israel. The letter, as reported by The Athletic, says that “sport cannot stand silent while athletes and civilians including children are indiscriminately killed en masse in Gaza”.
Former Aston Villa forward Anwar El Ghazi, former Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy and former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson have also signed the letter.
The correspondence references a United Nations report from September, which stated that Israeli authorities and security forces possess “the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”, a charge that Israel rejects.
Pressure on international sports bodies, including UEFA and FIFA, to act against Israel over the war in Gaza has been mounting. In Spain, the Vuelta cycling race became a flashpoint when several stages were disrupted or stopped by pro-Palestinian protests, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call for a sporting ban on Israel.
Israel’s isolation has deepened after strikes targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar’s capital. At the same time, a UN Human Rights inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. US President Donald Trump has proposed a 20-point peace plan that has been accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hamas is yet to issue a response.
The letter concludes: “We call upon UEFA to immediately suspend Israel from all competitions until it complies with international law and ends its killing of civilians and the widespread starvation.
“Sport is not neutral in the face of injustice. To remain silent is to accept that the lives of some are worth less than others. We believe in one standard for all nations and all people, justice without double standards.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]