ISTANBUL

Dozens of athletes have called on the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel for its human rights violations against Palestinians.

In a letter to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin on Tuesday, the Athletes for Peace, which represents over 70 sports figures, supported calls for the organization to sever ties with the Israel Football Association.

The letter penned by the Game Over Israel organization is supported by Athletes 4 Peace, The Gaza Tribunal, and The Hind Rajab Foundation.

“No shared venue, stage, or arena in international civil society should welcome a regime that commits genocide, apartheid, and other crimes against humanity,” the letter said.

The call was supported by prominent athletes, including French World Cup champion Paul Pogba, Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi, Moroccan player Hakim Ziyech, and Spanish winger Adama Traore.

“Israel’s continued impunity for such crimes will only be ended by the weight of collective conscientious action, including measures to block their entry to sporting or cultural events and activities,” the letter added.

The letter addressed Ceferin directly, referencing his own words that "football belongs to everyone," and warned that allowing people who harm their own and others' humanity into the sport risks depriving football of its core values.

The petition is part of an ongoing campaign to have UEFA ban Israel from participating in tournaments over attacks in Gaza.

The Israeli army has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others, and left the Gaza Strip uninhabitable since October 2023, according to the Health Ministry.