London protesters demand international sports ban on Israel
Outside London's iconic Wembley Stadium an urgent call has been made for Israel to be banned from international sporting events, including football.
Israel should be banned from everything.
They should become a pariah state and kicked out of every organization across the world.
Protestor 01
This month, the sport’s governing body, UEFA, postponed a vote on sporting sanctions on Israel, citing the Trump administration's so called peace plan.
The clamor for the ban came after UN human rights experts concluded Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and called on international football to act.
It's capitulating to pressure from America, essentially. We know that the peace plan isn't really a peace plan; it's a plan for further colonization of Palestinians.
This is not going to help anyone. It's not going to help Palestinians. It's not going to bring about the end of the genocide.
And really we need UEFA, FIFA and every international sporting body, to take action and ban Israel, now; isolate Israel and bring about the end of this genocide.
Sheila Guhadasan, Palestine Solidarity Campaign
If UEFA imposes a ban, it would block Israel from qualifying for next year's World Cup hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Advocates of the ban say the regime should be treated just like Russia, which was barred from international events within days of the war in Ukraine.
The thing that the Israelis are most worried about is whether they shall be thrown out of UEFA, the European football organization, and that is due.
It's long overdue. We've just got to be fairly rational about it, though, you remember, South Africa was thrown out of FIFA for 28 years before they finally sorted things.
So it's going to be a long time, but we've got to start.
Geoff Lee, Campaigner
Anger at Israel's participation in another sporting event led to the cancelation of the final stage of Spain's top cycling tournament in September, an action supported by the government.
Until the barbarity ends neither Russia nor Israel should be in any international competition.
The sports organization should consider whether it's ethical for Israel to keep participating in international competitions.
Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister
The demonstrators here say Britain should follow suit, especially now that it has recognized Palestine as a state.
Pressure is mounting in other areas, too. A number of countries have threatened to pull out of the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2026 if Israel is allowed to take part.
Opponents of the ban argue that sports and culture offer a chance to build bridges among people and should not be politicized.
Those seeking Israel's expulsion say that allowing a genocidal regime to participate in global events only normalizes its barbaric actions against Palestinians and other nations.
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