UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has responded to proposals to ban Israel amid the situation with Palestine.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has made his position on banning Israel plain in the midst of the current conflict with Palestine.
Since the beginning of the war, 80,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, including over 17,000 children.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, UEFA responded by imposing a ban on all of their competitions, which included the national team and its clubs.
That prohibition remains in force, and with the events in Gaza, there have been requests to suspend Israel from competition.
Ahead of a World Cup qualifier in Hungary next week, the Italian Football Coaches Association (AIAC) expressed their worries, writing an open letter demanding Israel’s ban from international football.
During their last meeting, approximately 50 Italian fans turned their backs while the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah, was played.
That also occurred in a recent wheelchair basketball match between Great Britain and Israel, which lodged a formal protest.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli champions, will still compete in the Europa League this season, facing Aston Villa, Dinamo Zagreb, Lyon, PAOK, Midtjylland, SC Freiburg, Bologna, and VfB Stuttgart in the league phase.
Ceferin explains his stance on the Israel ban
In a fresh interview, Ceferin stated that he does not support banning athletes because he believes they are blameless in the situation, pointing out that the war in Ukraine did not end because of Russia’s suspension.
“Look, first of all, what’s happening with civilians there is personally hurting, killing me,” Ceferin told the news organization Politico.
“On the other hand, I am not in favor of prohibiting athletes. Because, what can an athlete do to persuade their nation to end the war? It’s extremely hard. Now, I believe the ban for Russian teams is three and a half years. Did the [Ukraine] war end? It did not.
In an August interview with Slovenian TV, Ceferin stated, “I think the time has come when we have to stop pretending that we are a sports organisation that lives on another planet.”
Last month, Ceferin stood with two Palestinian children to present out medals at the UEFA Super Cup, where a banner reading “STOP KILLING CHILDREN – STOP KILLING CIVILIANS” was erected prior.
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