UNITED Nations (UN) experts have backed calls for Israel to be suspended from major global football associations as the genocide in Gaza continues.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, calling for the country to be excluded from both FIFA and UEFA after an inquiry by the UN Commission concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
Despite being private organisations, both are bound under international human rights law in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The statement read: “Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual. Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalise injustices.”
The experts – which include special rapporteurs Francesca Albanese, KP Ashwini, and Alexandra Xanthaki – urged countries in which organisations like FIFA and UEFA are based, or those which hold international sporting competitions, to consider their obligations “not to remain neutral in the face of genocide”.
“They must fulfil their obligations not to provide aid or assistance that would help maintain the situation created by Israel's illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement said.
It continued: “We are clear that the boycott must be addressed to the State of Israel and not to individual players.
“We have always maintained that individuals cannot bear the consequences of the decisions their government makes, so there should be no discrimination or sanctions against individual players because of their origin or nationality.”
The UN experts also acknowledged mounting pressure from the public being applied to FIFA and UEFA, urging the suspension of the Israeli team from both organisations.
“Once again, we urge FIFA to stop legitimising the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement added.
“There is a legal and moral imperative to take every measure possible to end the genocide in Gaza now.”
It follows the launch of the Game Over Israel campaign last week which called on nine European football federations in Scotland, Ireland, England, Norway, Greece, France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy to boycott Israel as it continues to bombard Gaza.
Israel’s place in UEFA has previously been called into question, with it becoming a full member in 1994 despite not being in Europe.
Competition matches were banned from being played in Israel in 2024 due to safety and security concerns, though it has never been stopped from participating in such games.
