Palestinian children cheer on Spain as Israel kills footballers while UEFA and FIFA stand idly by

As football fans awaited the Euros final this weekend, Israel continued massacring Palestinians. Among them, a Gazan football legend – just as the UK’s new foreign secretary visited the genocidal state.

Whilst England may have lost 2-1 in the final, children in Gaza were cheering for Spain:

Palestinian children in Gaza find a moment of joy while playing football on the beach, waiting for tonight’s EURO final.

They will be cheering on La Roja, in awe to Spain’s support for Palestine 🇵🇸🇪🇸

🎥⚽️ @AbubakerAbedW with @afsc_org #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/X8ZCTcPbsd

— Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) July 14, 2024

In May, Spain announced it would formally recognise the Palestinian state – alongside Ireland and Norway. So of course, the children in Gaza were cheering for Spain as a thank you for their ‘unrivalled support’:

“The most traumatized children on earth are now gathering to seek some respite from Israel’s bombardment and create an atmosphere full of bitter joy and revelry.” @AbubakerAbedW https://t.co/1YXHtRjrNj

— Brendan O’Connor (@_grendan) July 14, 2024

thinking, as i often do, of what @TomSexton has said about soccer and how it made me examine and discard some old ideas i had about sports. if these kids are cheering for la roja, so am i 🇵🇸🇪🇸 https://t.co/hPWgfz5Tu5

— rachel (@rachelgloria) July 14, 2024

Israel’s targeting of innocent people

According to the Guardian, only last week an Israeli airstrike killed at least 30 people, including children who were playing football in the courtyard of al-Awda school. This was not the first time the Israeli regime have murdered Palestinian children whilst playing the sport they love. Similar reports emerged in April and as far back as 2014 – when four boys were killed playing football on the beach.

Only today, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces had struck a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp – killing at least 17 people.

All of this shows a pattern which speaks to Israel’s targeting and slaughter of innocent people – especially children:

Glad Spain won, because at least these kids will have something to celebrate, no matter how small. They can use all the little happinesses they can get. https://t.co/rPcE9aBr7O

— Francisco Silva 𓁧 (@DrCisco) July 15, 2024

the only supporters I care about. many Gazan children were killed while playing football just the other day https://t.co/nxRKkqMN79

— Nagihan Haliloğlu (@NHaliloglu) July 14, 2024

Israel has murdered more than 300 athletes in Gaza since 7 October – many of whom were children and young people. ‘

These included Nazir al-Nashnash, a 20-year-old university student who played for Bureij Services Football Club, Hani Al-Masdar, former footballer and manager of the Palestinian Olympic team, and Hanan Wael Al-Hawajri, a ‘promising young football player’ who looked to be no older than ten from the photos on Palestine Chronicle. 

Other deaths include athletes from Palestinian national teams of many different sports, including athletics, basketball, bodybuilding, football, Judo, karate, table tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.

Yesterday’s attack on the refugee camp killed Shadi Abu Al-Arraj. He was a goalkeeper for Khan Younis Youth Club and reportedly, one of the best goalkeepers in Gaza:

36-year-old Khan Younis Youth Club goalkeeper, Shadi Abu Al-Arraj, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Shadi was one of the best goalies in Gaza.

An overwhelming number of the athletes killed were part of Gaza’s once vibrant football life. @FIFAcom will you condemn this? pic.twitter.com/c3PVuhyQys

— Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) July 13, 2024

Football pitches or mass graves?

Meanwhile, Israel has destroyed all of Palestine’s professional football stadiums and locals have been forced to turn smaller facilities into refugee camps, field hospitals, and even mass graves.

Back in May, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – footballs international governing body – ordered an urgent legal evaluation of a proposal by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) to suspend Israel over their invasion of Gaza.

UEFA however, have still allowed Israel to compete in the qualifiers for this years Euro’s, as recently as March:

Please ban Israel from FIFA and any sport competition. No athletes in the world would want to face the genocidal society https://t.co/0VAkfKWRH6

— Mohd Syazwannuddin (@syazwannuddin) July 14, 2024

Interestingly, this request for sanctions against the Israel Football Association comes two years after FIFA made the decision to suspect Russia from all international competitions over their invasion of Ukraine.

FIFA banned Russia from all international competitions on 28 February 2022. This was just four days after the invasion of Ukraine. So why, over nine months after Israel started their offensive on Gaza are its players and their team still allowed to compete in international football competitions? Why have FIFA or UEFA not taken a stand like they did with Russia?

Jibril Rajoub, PFA President said:

How much more must the Palestinian football family suffer for FIFA to act with the same urgency and severity as it did in other cases? Does FIFA consider some wars to be more important than others and some victims to be more significant?

Double standards

Similarly, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – of which Israel is a member despite not being in Europe – has refused to condemn Israel. It has been accused of applying double standards because of its reaction to Russia invading Ukraine.

UEFA has suspended most Russian teams from its competitions since February 2022. However, UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis refused to give Israeli teams the same treatment. He stated that they were “two completely different situations”. He also stated that the Hamas attacks of 7 October absolved Israel of responsibility for its actions in Gaza.

Double standards in football go way back. After Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, FIFA and UEFA both prohibited Crimean football clubs from playing in the Russian league. It is worth noting that Russia has violated both FIFA and UEFA standards. Reports now suggest that the Russian Football pyramid now includes Crimean Clubs.

According to Al Jazeera:

The fact that FIFA has recognised the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) league since 1998, and allows Palestinian clubs in Gaza and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) to play as part of FIFA implies that it recognises these areas as Palestinian territory.

The PFA has, however, not consented to Israeli teams playing on its territory. It must therefore be assumed that FIFA is either in clear breach of its statutes, or that it recognises Israeli settlements as part of Israel’s territory against international consensus – a point that Tokyo Sexwale must clarify.

The power of football

Throughout history, football has been a powerful way of uniting people. From the Christmas Truce in WWI to helping Yemeni’s cope with the ongoing civil war:

“Football connects us, football unites.
Educates, frustrates us, football excites.
Football has the power to take us away from the troubles in our day.
That’s why we play.
And for a few minutes, we’re a child again.
Not the care in the world, free to run wild again…”

— John Ewen 🏴 #Socialist #FreeNorthNow (@AjarnJohn) July 14, 2024

In a tent and with warplanes flying overhead, Palestinians were able to find a moment of joy in Spain’s triumph:

Viva La Roja 🇪🇸❤🇵🇸

From a tent, under the heavily buzzing drones and warplanes, we could find a moment of joy in Spain’s triumph.

Our love is also to our beloved and standing English people shouting “Free Palestine” and every English supporting us during this barbarity. pic.twitter.com/jZUEyuKZ6n

— Abubaker Abed (@AbubakerAbedW) July 15, 2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇸 England fan screams ‘Free Palestine!’ during an interview after England lost 2-1 to Spain in #EURO2024

pic.twitter.com/ol21rY1nv5

— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) July 14, 2024

I am a huge football fan. But personally, I’m glad the children of Palestine may have had even a few moments of joy from England’s loss. They need it far more than we do.

Feature image via Abubaker Abed and Leyla Hamed/ X