ANKARA (Kashmir English): Turkish Football Federation has urged FIFA, UEFA and national soccer associations to ban Israel from participating in sporting competitions.
Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has urged these bodies to impose a ban on Israel from participating in sporting competitions, local media reported on Friday.
The request comes ahead of European soccer’s governing body UEFA mulling over an emergency vote next week on suspending Israel from its tournaments, with national federations coming under mounting political pressure following calls for action.
“Despite positioning themselves as defenders of civic values and peace, the sporting world and football institutions have remained silent for far too long,” Haciosmanoglu wrote in the letter according to the Anadolu Agency.
“Guided by these values, we feel compelled to raise our deep concern regarding the unlawful (and more importantly, completely inhumane and unacceptable) situation being carried out by the State of Israel in Gaza and its surrounding areas.”
“Israel committed genocide during war in Gaza”
According to a UN Commission of Inquiry report issued this week concluded that Israel has committed genocide during the war in Gaza and called for its suspension from international football.
Israel has denied committing genocide and described the report as scandalous.
“The situation had long been desperate, but in recent days it has reached a new level of urgency following the interventions of various institutions,” added Haciosmanoglu.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave, and caused widespread devastation and hunger.
“We don’t have any indications that we are facing such an act (UEFA suspension),” a spokesperson for the Israel Football Association said on Thursday, adding that the national team were focusing on their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Israel was removed from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974 by a vote after several countries refused to play against them and now the country competes under the UEFA umbrella.
