Turkish Football Federation urges FIFA, UEFA to ban Israel from competitions

Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has written to FIFA, UEFA and national soccer association chiefs urging them to impose a ban on Israel from participating in sporting competition, local media reported on Friday.

The request comes as European soccer’s governing body UEFA appears poised for an emergency vote next week on suspending Israel from its tournaments, with national federations coming under mounting political pressure following calls for action.

“Despite positioning themselves as defenders of civic values and peace, the sporting world and football institutions have remained silent for far too long,” Haciosmanoglu wrote in the letter according to the Anadolu Agency.

“Guided by these values, we feel compelled to raise our deep concern regarding the unlawful (and more importantly, completely inhumane and unacceptable) situation being carried out by the State of Israel in Gaza and its surrounding areas.”

A U.N. Commission of Inquiry issued a report this week concluding that Israel has committed genocide during the war in Gaza and calling for its suspension from international football.

Israel has denied committing genocide and described the report as scandalous.

“The situation had long been desperate, but in recent days it has reached a new level of urgency following the interventions of various institutions,” added Haciosmanoglu.

Israel says its military offensive in Gaza is not against the population but against the Hamas militant group whose fighters led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave, and caused widespread devastation and hunger.

“We don’t have any indications that we are facing such an act (UEFA suspension),” a spokesperson for the Israel Football Association told Reuters on Thursday, adding that the national team were focusing on their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Israel compete under the UEFA umbrella, having been removed from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974 by a vote after several countries refused to play against them.

Read More: Israel facing potential UEFA suspension vote

In 1991 UEFA permitted Israel’s national team to participate within the framework of European football.

A year later, Israeli clubs began appearing in UEFA competitions. By 1994, Israel had been granted full membership of the organisation, moving beyond its earlier associate status.