‘Total impunity’: Why FIFA won’t ban Israel despite Gaza genocide
Israel will resume its qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 today amid widespread public protests and growing demands for football’s governing body to sanction the country over its genocide in Gaza.
Despite the widespread opposition, Israel’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers – against Norway on Saturday and Italy on Tuesday – will go ahead as scheduled after FIFA sidestepped the issue by saying it cannot “solve geopolitical problems”.
Football fans and several experts have accused FIFA and UEFA of double standards over their failure to act against Israel in the two years of its war on Gaza, while swiftly sanctioning Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The apparently preferential treatment given to Israel’s football team is an extension of the “total impunity” the country has enjoyed amid the two-year war, according to Abdullah Al-Arian, associate professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar.
Calls on UEFA to ban Israel renew ahead of World Cup qualifiers in Norway, Italy
As the Israeli national football team head to the World Cup qualifiers in Norway and Italy, the campaign Game Over Israel is once again calling on UEFA to suspend Israel until it ends its abuses against Palestinians.
Game Over Israel has been using billboards in major cities across the world to drive home that message. The latest billboard was revealed in Milan and addressed to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
“Israel is committing genocide. Suspend Israel now. It’s your moral obligation,” it said. John Dugard, former UN special rapporteur on Palestine, said it remains legally necessary and urgent for UEFA to ban the Israel Football Association (IFA).
“By continuing to host Israeli teams, UEFA risks becoming complicit in the normalisation of war crimes,” Dugard said in a statement. “We urge you to uphold the integrity of the sport and immediately suspend the IFA and all affiliated teams from UEFA competitions until Israel ends the genocide and its unlawful occupation, and fully complies with its obligations under international law.”
In addition to the atrocities in Gaza, Israel allows teams based in settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, to compete in its professional leagues in violation of FIFA rules.
Both FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia days after it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Gymnastics governing body reacts to Indonesia’s move against Israel
Gymnastics’ governing body has given a muted reaction to Indonesia’s announcement that it would block Israeli athletes from competing at the upcoming world championships in Jakarta.
“The FIG takes note of the Indonesian government’s decision not to issue visas to the Israeli delegation registered for the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics, which will be held in Jakarta from 19-25 October, and recognizes the challenges that the host country has faced in organizing this event,” it said in a short statement on Friday.
The statement did not threaten to take the event away from Indonesia, as stipulated in FIG statutes for cases where the host refuses to issue visas. “The FIG hopes that an environment will be created as soon as possible where athletes around the world can enjoy sports safely and with peace of mind,” it said.
