UN Experts Urge FIFA and UEFA to Suspend Israel Over Alleged Genocide

United Nations experts have called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel’s national football team from international competition, saying the move is necessary in response to what they describe as ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory.

In a statement issued in Geneva, the experts cited the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry, which concluded that Israel is committing genocide. They also pointed to the International Court of Justice’s interim order in January 2024, which reminded all states of their legal duty to act against genocide.

The experts stressed that international law obliges states to prevent, punish and avoid complicity in genocide, obligations that apply universally and without exception.

“Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual,” the experts said. “Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalise injustices.”

They emphasised that any suspension should target the state, not individual players. “We have always maintained that individuals cannot bear the consequences of the decisions their government makes, so there should be no discrimination or sanctions against individual players because of their origin or nationality,” they said.

The experts argued that national teams representing states responsible for serious human rights violations can and should be suspended, as has occurred in the past. They added that private sporting organisations, including FIFA and UEFA, are bound by international human rights law under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Civil society groups have already urged FIFA and UEFA to take action. The experts said the organisations must not provide aid or assistance that sustains Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, which they described as illegal under international law.

“We support the calls for action that aim to encourage the implementation of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice and impose consequences on the State of Israel for breaching international law,” the statement said.