A large coalition of human rights organisations, former footballers and advocacy groups has launched a multi-nation campaign to boycott Israeli teams and players from participating in domestic competitions in Europe.
The #GameOverIsrael campaign will see protests across nine countries on Wednesday, calling on football federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland and Spain to take a principled stand against Israel’s actions in Palestine.
The protests started with a billboard that went up at Times Square in New York on Tuesday, highlighting the growing angst among the international community regarding the Palestine issue.
The next stage of the campaign will see large protests across European countries outside stadiums and city centres, demanding local federations and stakeholders to bar any footballing association with Israel.
Prominent individual supporters of the #GameOverIsrael campaign include Irish actor Liam Cunningham and former England football player and BBC Match of the Day host Gary Lineker.
Game of Thrones star Cunningham made headlines this month when he shared a video of a young Palestinian girl singing a song in Arabic that she wanted to be played at her funeral before boarding a flotilla bound for Gaza from Barcelona.
Richard Falk, president of the Gaza Tribunal, international law expert and former UN special rapporteur on Palestine, said: “Israel has for many years used culture and sports to whitewash their violations of international law and human rights and sporting governing bodies have been shamefully complicit during this genocide. It’s perfectly legitimate and morally imperative to demand that football federations across Europe and the world boycott Israel. Normalcy is complicity in this abnormal time of prolonged genocide.”
Ashish Prashar, political strategist and Game Over Israel campaign manager, said: “Our position is clear; Israel has no place in football. International human rights defenders and civil society will not abandon the legitimate demand for football federations to step into the gap left by their governing bodies and boycott Israel. It’s our collective responsibility to work together – fans, unions, the public – and flood our federations demanding they act now to boycott Israel and send a message that those committing genocide are not welcome on the pitch.”
Craig Mokhiber, a former United Nations Human Rights official and a specialist in international human rights law, said: “We are living through a dark moment in history in which a people, locked in the chains of apartheid, are being exterminated before our eyes. None of us will be able to say we did not know. Inaction in such circumstances is complicity. But we do have the power to act. Sport is a powerful social force. And football, ‘the Beautiful Game,’ can be a powerful channel for action. Demand that your football federation, and all federations, boycott Israel. Keep football beautiful.”
Across Europe, some football federations have started to act. Last month, the Italian Football coaches’ association urged the Italian federation to demand Israel’s suspension from competitions. In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced nine new measures to stop the genocide in Gaza, including an arms embargo and a ban of entry to Spanish territory on all individuals involved in war crimes in Gaza.
Love Rovers Hate Racism, a fan group of Irish football club Shamrock Rovers FC fan group, said: “We are approaching the two-year mark of the genocide in Gaza. What more is there to say? Why haven’t football federations boycotted Israel? They’re supposed to represent football and the fans. It is unfathomable, unconscionable. They should be ashamed. We demand they act now and boycott Israel and get them off our pitches.”
The Norwegian Football Federation pledged ticket revenue from its upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifier against Israel to humanitarian aid in Gaza.
