A global campaign titled #GameOverIsrael, aimed at barring Israeli football teams and players from competing internationally as the war in Gaza continues, kicked off on Wednesday.
Leading advocacy groups, rights campaigners, and football fans took to social media to pressure European football federations as well as the sport’s leading governing body FIFA to boycott Israel, its national team, as well as clubs and players, as the country’s military onslaught on the Palestinian enclave nears two years.
Nearly 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war was launched on 7 October 2023.
Among those killed are at least 808 athletes as of August this year, including 421 footballers, according to the Palestinian Football Association.
A recent victim was one of Palestine's most prominent sports players, Suleiman al-Obeid, who was also known as the "Palestinian Pele". He was killed whilst waiting for humanitarian aid last month.
Israel’s military campaign has also destroyed dozens of football stadiums and sporting facilities, halting sporting life in the war-battered territory.
The federations of Spain, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Ireland, England, France, Norway, and Scotland have been urged to ban Israeli teams from competing in European competitions such as the UEFA Champions, Europa, and Conference Leagues and to refrain from signing Israeli football players to join their domestic leagues.
The federations have also been urged to refuse to play Israel, should they face them in international games.
The #GameOverIsrael campaign has gained the support of football presenter and former England player Gary Lineker, former Manchester United star Eric Cantona, and Greek economist Yannis Varoufakis.
Ahmed Shehab-Eldin, a prominent Arab-American journalist and activist, said of the campaign: "Israel is committing a live-streamed genocide in Gaza and yet their national team struts through UEFA qualifiers, their clubs chase European glory and their players sign big contracts, and its an abomination. The #GameOverIsrael campaign is here to end that by pressuring football federations in Europe to boycott Israel."
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee National Executive Director Abed Ayoub said in response to the initiative: "We stand with our European counterparts and demand that every football governing body take immediate and decisive action to bar Israel from international competition."
"The world must tell Israel that the game is over, and there is no room in sports for war criminals".
The #GameOverIsrael campaign showcased its cause on a billboard in New York’s Times Square, displaying the message: "Soccer Federations: Boycott Israel" and “Israel Is Committing Genocide” on Monday, in a bid to draw more international attention to the initiative.
This comes as the US city is set to host a number of football matches during the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026, which is also co-hosted by Canada and Mexico.
Qualification games for the competition have been underway since 2023 and will continue until March next year. Israel is aiming to qualify in Group I of the UEFA group, but is unlikely to do so due to their poor track record. The qualification group features heavyweights Italy and Norway, as well as Estonia and Moldova.
Their draw against the Azzurri earlier this month saw the Italians beat their counterparts in a nine-goal thriller, as well as boos from the Italian supporters who turned their backs on the Israeli team, and verbal scuffles involving players and staff.
Israel’s participation in the qualification process has drawn sharp criticism from football fans and activists, who have pointed to UEFA and FIFA’s double standards as the Russian national side was suspended almost immediately from international competition in 2022, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Palestinian Football Association has also requested that FIFA suspend Israel multiple times, but no ban has been put in place.