Over 60 soccer players, many from the English Premier League and other first division teams in Europe, recently called upon UEFA to rescind its agreement to hold the upcoming Under 21 tournament in Israel.
The call, which did not condemn Hamas’ usage of Gazan stadiums to store and fire rockets at Israeli cities, was in response to the IDF’s Pillar of Defense operation in Gaza last month.
In their statement, the players underlined that “we…express our solidarity with the people of Gaza who are living under siege and denied basic human dignity and freedom. The latest Israeli bombardment of Gaza, resulting in the death of over a hundred civilians, was yet another stain on the world’s conscience.” Among the players who signed the petition were members of Newcastle United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
(Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center / YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
I think these players should be forced to stay at the Gaza Hilton for the duration of the tournament.
It is sad to see the influence possessed by people whose lives are dedicated to kicking around a ball.
Hey, little boys, go back to playing with your ballee and don’t try and understand things that matter.
How smart do you need to be to be a football player. Look what most do with the lives after football
A real Jewish state doesnt have football teams.