Over 70 athletes urge UEFA to ban Israel over human rights violations

More than 70 athletes, including football stars Paul Pogba and Hakim Ziyech, have joined a growing call for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel over what they describe as grave human rights violations against Palestinians.

In a letter sent to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin on Tuesday, the group Athletes for Peace—supported by human rights organisations such as the Hind Rajab Foundation and the Gaza Tribunal—urged the governing body to cut ties with the Israel Football Association (IFA).

“No shared venue, stage, or arena in international civil society should welcome a regime that commits genocide, apartheid, and other crimes against humanity,” the letter stated. It was penned by the advocacy group Game Over Israel, which has been leading campaigns to bar Israel from international sports and cultural events.

The signatories include French World Cup winner Paul Pogba, Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech, Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi, and Spanish player Adama Traoré. They argue that Israel has used football to legitimise its occupation of Palestinian territories, including by allowing clubs from illegal West Bank settlements to compete in its leagues—contravening FIFA regulations.

“UEFA’s continued relationship with the IFA—through funding and by allowing Israeli teams in international tournaments—means the body may be complicit in these violations,” the letter said.

The petition follows mounting pressure from rights groups and football federations. In September, the Turkish Football Federation supported a call to suspend Israel, while earlier this month, the Football Association of Ireland passed a similar resolution.

Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza and the occupied territories have drawn condemnation from global rights groups and UN investigators, who have described the campaign as genocidal. Reports say more than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 421 footballers, while the war has devastated Gaza’s sports infrastructure.

The letter also noted that UEFA and FIFA have previously suspended nations for serious breaches of international law, citing apartheid-era South Africa, post-war Germany, Yugoslavia, and, most recently, Russia.

“It is time UEFA upholds the same moral and legal standards and suspend Israel immediately,” it concluded.