Prominent footballers join campaign pressuring UEFA to exclude Israel from matches

Prominent sports stars are joining the 'Athletes 4 Peace' campaign , urging football's governing bodies UEFA and FIFA to ban Israel from competitions until it complies with international law and ends its assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Nearly 50 football players have joined the call, including French World Cup-winner Paul Pogba and Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech, which comes amid Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which has killed over 66,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

The Athletes 4 Peace campaign says its signatories come from diverse backgrounds and beliefs but are united in the conviction that sport should uphold justice and humanity, not serve to normalise human rights abuses.

Other footballers who have joined the campaign include Anwar el Ghazi, Cheick Diabate and Cheick Doucoure, as well as former Leicester City coach Nigel Pearson. They are joined by British boxer Zak Chelli.

England cricketers Moeen Ali and New Zealand cricketer Ajz Patel, as well as equestrian Khadija Mellah have also backed the campaign.

The campaign commenced following Israel’s killing of the widely celebrated Gaza football player Suleiman al-Obeid, who was frequently referred to as "the Palestinian Pele".

Liverpool football player Mohammed Salah also appeared to criticise UEFA’s tribute to the player, signalling that they omitted information on how and by whom he was killed.

The initiative states the signatories are the "united voice of sports professionals from around the world, standing for justice, fairness, and humanity in sport".

It also states that "Israel’s actions violate international humanitarian law and contradict the principles of respect, safety and peace that sports represents…to remain silent is to accept that the lives of some are worth less than others".

According to various reports, eight UN experts have previously called on FIFA and UEFA to take a harsh stance, such as sanctions, on Israel, while a number of clubs in Europe have also expressed that they no longer wish to face Israeli teams in matches.

Arab football federations, too, including Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, sent a joint letter to FIFA in early 2024, demanding that the Israeli national team be suspended.

This week, UEFA is set to vote on whether to suspend Israel from European football competitions after a large majority of the body’s executive committee showed support for the move.

This comes despite US pressure stopping the body from imposing a ban earlier this week.

A UN commission of inquiry has found that there were "reasonable grounds" to determine that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Meanwhile, in many football tournaments since the start of the war, fans have unfurled banners and chanted against the offensive, calling for a ceasefire.

Spain has also threatened to boycott the 2026 World Cup if it qualifies alongside Israel. Patxi Lopez, spokesperson for the governing Socialist Workers’ Party, said Madrid "cannot and will not remain silent" in the face of Israel’s military actions.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 66,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis. The war has been determined to be a genocide by leading rights group Amnesty International and a recent UN report.