UN experts urge FIFA, UEFA to suspend Israel's national football team

GENEVA - A group of United Nations (UN) human rights experts on Tuesday called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel's national football team from international competitions, describing the move as a "necessary response" to the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory.

In a joint statement, eight UN independent experts, including Alexandra Xanthaki, special rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, and Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, cited findings in a report released on Sept 16 by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.

In the report, the commission concluded that Israel has committed acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and urged the country to immediately cease its atrocities in the Palestinian enclave.

"Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalize injustices," the experts said. They stressed that, as in previous cases, national teams representing states accused of massive human rights violations can and should be suspended. FIFA and UEFA, they added, are bound by international human rights obligations.

The experts underlined that any sporting boycott should target the State of Israel, not individual athletes. "There should be no discrimination or sanctions against individual players because of their origin or nationality," they said.