In the lead-up to Italy’s key World Cup qualifier against Israel, the Italian Coaches’ Association (AIAC), also known as Assoallenatori, has formally urged international football governing bodies to suspend Israel from international football tournaments.
In a letter addressed to Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina, the AIAC said their appeal is not merely symbolic but a “necessary choice” driven by a “moral imperative.”
The letter, reported by Italian media and citing AIAC president Renzo Ulivieri, reflects a unanimous decision by the association’s national board.
“The values of humanity, which underpin those of sport, compel us to oppose acts of oppression with terrible consequences,” Ulivieri states, addressing Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
FIFA governs global football, organizing important football competitions like the World Cup. UEFA oversees European football, managing competitions such as the Champions League and the EURO.
Both football bodies have faced blistering criticism over their silence over the ongoing Israeli genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza and refuse to ban Israel from international football events.
Giancarlo Camolese, vice president of AIAC, also joined the calls for the regime’s suspension.
“People might want us to just shut up and play, turn to look the other way, but we don’t believe that is right,” he was quoted as saying.
The AIAC cited the case of Russia’s exclusion from international competitions over the war in Ukraine, arguing that similar measures should be considered in light of the genocide in Gaza.
The last Italy-Israel match in Udine (October 2024) was marked by protests and heightened security. Since then, the humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip has only worsened.
The targeting killing of Suleiman al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pelé,” while waiting for aid in southern Gaza made global headlines, and prompted Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah to publicly question the silence of FIFA and UEFA over the killing of Palestinian athletes by Israel.
According to the Palestinian Football Association, more than 810 athletes have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, most of them young footballers.
In July alone, over 40 athletes were killed in cold blood, including Obeid.
Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, expressed support for the AIAC’s stance on Israeli participation in football competitions.
“This is the Italy I belong too, respect and love: the one that chooses with its conscience and values, not with its fat wallet and ideologised brain,” Albanese wrote in a post on X.
“In the name of the rule of law and humanity, all the way.”
Calls for Israel’s suspension from international sports competitions have grown louder amid ongoing genocidal war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the deliberate targeting of athletes.
FIFA, in particular, has faced sharp criticism for turning a blind eye to Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
