The head of the Turkish Soccer Federation, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, has sent a letter to FIFA, UEFA, and national soccer associations worldwide, demanding Israel be banned from international sporting competitions, Reuters reported on Friday.
The letter, quoted by the Anadolu agency, accuses Israel of committing “unlawful” and “inhumane” acts in Gaza.
“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. “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.”
The appeal comes as UEFA prepares for an emergency vote next week that could see Israel suspended from its tournaments. Several national federations are reportedly under political pressure to support the move.
A spokesperson for the Israel Soccer Association told Reuters on Thursday, “We don't have any indications that we are facing such an act (UEFA suspension),” and said the national team remains focused on upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, when asked recently why Russia is excluded from UEFA while Israel is not, said that “this is a legitimate question."
FIFA has also dealt with requests to ban Israel in recent years, most notably from the Palestinian Authority and from Iran.
In 2024, FIFA delayed for a second time its decision on a Palestinian Authority bid to have Israel suspended from international soccer.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)