Paul Pogba and others call for Israel to be excluded from European tournaments

A number of football stars and human rights groups have sent an open letter to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, calling for “the immediate exclusion of Israel from European football” over what they described as “grave violations and war crimes against Palestinians”.

Game Over Israel

The letter, prepared by the organisation Game Over Israel and published on its Instagram account, was supported by several human rights organisations, including Athletes for Peace, the Gaza Tribunal, and the Hind Rajab Foundation.

It was signed by more than 70 players from around the world, most notably former French star Paul Pogba, Moroccan Hakim Ziyech, Spaniard Adama Traoré and Dutchman Anwar El Ghazi.

The letter begins:

Football does not belong to anyone; it belongs to everyone because it is part of our shared human heritage.

The signatories expressed “deep concern about the failure of the European Football Association to take a moral stance by excluding Israel from European competitions”, stressing that “tolerance of Israel threatens to undermine the spirit and human essence of the game.”

The letter also stressed that it is necessary for “UEFA to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities and immediately expel Israel from European football”, adding that:

no sporting or civilised arena should welcome a regime that commits genocide, apartheid and crimes against humanity.

The letter accused UEFA of facilitating Israel’s violations by allowing its teams to participate in and finance international competitions, calling for an immediate and comprehensive ban on them.

This move comes days after a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect on 10 October 2025, ending a two-year war on the Gaza Strip that resulted in — according to United Nations estimates — to the deaths of more than 69,000 Palestinians and the injury of some 170,000 others, most of them women and children, in addition to the destruction of about 90% of civilian infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated at $70 billion.

Featured image via the Canary