Football fans around the world at FIFA, UEFA calls for “showing red cards to Israel”
As Israel prepares to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, its football team is facing calls for being banned from all competitions.
Football fans around the world have been shouting, posting banners and holding red placards asking FIFA and the League of European Football Associations (UEFA) to “show a red card to Israel.”
“It’s so far, it’s amazing,” Palestinian content creator Ahmed Bdair told CBC News. “I’m honestly surprised all of this stuff.”
The sport began on 12 February in Scotland’s Champions League match. Celtic Football Club fans express support for Palestinians and call on FIFA and UEFA “Show the red card to Israel.”
According to the organizerprotests were caused by Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“Israel is practicing genocide and ethnic cleansing; it is practicing apartheid; it is illegally occupying Palestinian territory. All of this is in violation of international law,” said Green Brigades, a Celtic Ultras fan group.
The organization continued: “We call on football fans around the world to value life, humanity, dignity, freedom, peace and justice and to use your platform to resist Israeli crimes and stand with Palestine.”
Since then, the movement has spread to Italy,,,,, Spain,,,,, Belgium,,,,, Malaysia,,,,, Tunisia,,,,, Brazil and Chile,other.
FIFA and UEFA did not respond to CBC’s request for repeated comments.
Israel almost killed protests 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza In their late stages. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 7 actions. Among the death toll in Gaza, there are at least 734 Palestinian athletes and scouts, including 382 football players. According to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA). Israeli military says it has been killed There are at least 20,000 militantsno evidence was provided.
According to the Israeli Soles, Israel launched an attack in Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, with about 1,200 people killed and another 250 were taken hostages in Israel.
We are not threatened: Israeli football agency
The Israel Football Association (IFA) said in a statement to CBC News that its teams and athletes will not be blocked from participating in global sports events.
“We have encountered many ignorant, self-righteous events that ostensibly express protests. Facts and reality are facts and reality that we and many others know, and there is no stupid signal that changes them.”
This is not the first time Israel has faced scrutiny in the sports community since October 7.
Before the 2024 Paris Olympics, protesters – including some French MPs and Member of Congress – Calls on the International Olympic Committee to ban Israel from participating in the Olympic Games.
same year, 12 Middle East Football Association – In front of the President of the West Asian Football Federation, the half-brother of Jordan King Abdullah II, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, also called on FIFA to participate in the competition.
Next is the PFA asking FIFA to suspend Israel’s PFA, claiming that the IFA violated FIFA’s discrimination rules. FIFA Council Order Independent legal analysis and discrimination investigations beganbut delayed the decision to suspend Israel.
The conflict has led to tensions in football matches involving Israeli teams. From November 6 to 7, 2024, fans of local Dutch club AFC Ajax and McAbi Tel Aviv, who visited Israel, clashed in Amsterdam, resulting in five hospitalizations and dozens of arrests.
Football reporter Ronan Murphy said the protests could make some Israeli teams and fans feel unsafe to participate in the game.
“I think there will always be tension around visitors’ fans or teams participating in Israeli clubs and Israeli national rugby teams for departure games,” he told CBC News.
“It may be a stage where fans won’t travel because they are afraid of violence, or locals don’t want Israeli fans to worry about their own violence.”
Consciousness is the key to the campaign
FIFA and UEFA have not publicly commented on the “Israel Red Card” event, which did not surprise Murphy.
“Whatever they say, it will be an unwelcome decision. Such an organization cannot please everyone,” he said.
Football content creator Bdair said he wanted to see Israeli teams rejected in a similar way as Russia, which invaded Ukraine shortly after Russia was banned by FIFA and UEFA.
Bdair, a well-known AC Milan fan on X, said: “We have seen a lot of damage that has hurt a certain country. We no longer see Russia in the World Cup, we can’t see Russia in European games, we hardly talk about the Russian League.”
Although Bdair said he did not think a blanket ban on Israel might also be unfeasible, he said it is important to emphasize “hypocrisy” that is, only banning Russia.
He also said the sport’s awareness of Palestinian plight is more important than the Israeli moratorium.
“To me, what people know is what people know, and that’s what these protests are for.”
