Legal scholars urge UEFA to ban Israel over Gaza War

Over 30 legal experts are calling on UEFA to impose an "immediate and complete ban" on Israel from all competitions over its war on Gaza, joining a growing list of calls to ban the state from international sports.

In a letter addressed to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, and shared exclusively with Zeteo, signatories including former UN experts and scholars in international law have urged the global body "to fulfil their legal and moral obligations to uphold international law, and move forward with an immediate and complete ban of Israeli football".

The letter also includes banning Israel's national teams, club teams and players from taking part in UEFA competitions until justice and accountability are achieved for Palestine and all Palestinians.

"UEFA must not be complicit in sports-washing such flagrant breaches of international law, including but not limited to the act of genocide," the letter reads, also citing the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry report confirming Israel is carrying out genocide against Palestinians.

"The failure of the Israel Football Association (IFA) to challenge these violations implicates it in this system of oppression, rendering its participation in UEFA competitions untenable," the letter says, adding that UEFA is "bound by international human rights law".

The scholars say by continuing to host Israeli teams, the sporting body risks becoming complicit in the "normalisation of war crimes".

Israel's war on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 421 Palestinian footballers since the start of its invasion, while also having destroyed Gaza's sporting infrastructure, including stadiums and the Palestine Football Association.

The letter was organised by the #GameOverIsrael campaign group, calling on football bodies to boycott Israel from all sporting competitions.

The letter joins numerous calls, pressuring UEFA to ban Israel from taking part in all football competitions. While reports indicated that a vote would be held on 23 September, following lobbying efforts led by Qatar, no vote took place.

At the same time, Israel, as well as the US, has reportedly been lobbying against the ban. UEFA delayed its plans following the US president's controversial 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

While FIFA has also received calls to ban Israel, its president, Victor Montagliani, said the decision to suspend Israel lies "first and foremost" with UEFA.