Calls for sanctions against Israeli athletes are growing louder – world federations are holding back so far

Gennaro Gattuso had folded his hands and appeared stricken. Before the World Cup qualifier between Israel and Italy this Monday (4:5), the Italian national coach was asked about the war in Gaza. "I am a man of peace," Gattuso said. "We are here to play our game, but we feel respect and pain about what is happening."

Gattuso called it unfortunate to have to play against Israel at this particular time. And one got the impression that he was about to use strong language. Perhaps as strong as the Italian fans watching the match in Debrecen, Hungary. In protest against the war, they turned their backs to the pitch during the Israeli anthem. They also displayed signs with one word: "Stop."

The return match between Italy and Israel is scheduled to take place on October 14 in Udine. However, the mayor of the eastern Italian city, Alberto Felice De Toni, has already called for a postponement. He said he considers holding the match inappropriate given the immense suffering and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. De Toni anticipates protests against Israel.

After October 7, 2023, following the Hamas attack and Israel's military response, initially only Middle Eastern sports organizations called for Israel's exclusion from certain competitions. Now, after almost two years of war in the Gaza Strip, calls for a boycott are spreading. They are also increasingly being heard in European countries like Italy.

The calls for exclusion are based not only on the war itself, but also on the more specific accusation against certain Israeli athletes, clubs, or teams that they are allowing themselves to be co-opted by their government. This is the argument of the Palestinian Football Association, for example.

Indeed, there are close ties between sports and politics in Israel. For example, there is the right-wing extremist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is no longer allowed to enter some Western countries because of his racist and violent statements. Ben-Gvir is often a guest of honor in the fan section of the Beitar Jerusalem football club . Its ultras like to chant: "We hate all Arabs." And: "The Israeli army must win." Many fans served as soldiers in Gaza. They posed with Beitar flags in front of destroyed buildings. The club did not distance itself from this.

And the Israeli athletes? In 2024, judoka Peter Paltchik shared a photo of explosives intended for the Gaza War, captioning it: "From me to you with joy." Paltchik carried the Israeli flag at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.

Some footballers also chose martial symbolism. German national player Shon Weissman shared content on social media calling for the destruction of Gaza. Fortuna Düsseldorf therefore declined to sign Weissman . Another player, Menashe Zalka, volunteered to go to war as a soldier and was later enthusiastically celebrated in stadiums.

The Israeli anti-discrimination network "Kick It Out" documented 367 racist chants and shouts in the top division last football season alone, a 64 percent increase over the previous season. "One of the fans' banners stated that children from Gaza are worth less than Israeli children," reports Matan Segal, director of "Kick It Out." "In such cases, the Israel Football Association rarely imposes serious penalties."

But are these sufficient arguments for sanctions against Israeli sports? FIFA, for example, has temporarily suspended several national associations since 2020 alone, including those from Pakistan, Kenya, and Chad. The justification was generally that politicians had unlawfully interfered in the association's affairs.

Wars and regional conflicts rarely play a role in the justifications for sanctions. This was different after the start of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine in 2022. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) justified the suspension of the Russian governing body with the violation of the "territorial integrity" of another state . It had bound the sports administrations in the occupied Ukrainian territories to itself. And the Russian Football Union also integrated Ukrainian clubs into Russian leagues.

The Israeli government also uses sports to support its territorial claims. Several Israeli football, basketball, and netball clubs have been based in West Bank settlements, which the United Nations classifies as illegal under international law, for years. Using historical aerial photographs, the organization Human Rights Watch alleged that several sports fields and clubhouses were built on expropriated land from Palestinians.

Article 3 of the FIFA statutes states: "FIFA undertakes to respect all internationally recognized human rights and to work for the protection of these rights." And Article 72 states: "Member associations and their clubs shall not play on the territory of the other member association without the consent of the latter." However, the at least six Israeli football clubs in the settlements belong to the Israeli association, which in turn is a member of FIFA and the European Football Association (UEFA).

Over the past ten years, FIFA has repeatedly addressed the issue. In 2017, a committee threatened the Israel Football Association with sanctions, but these were never implemented. Since October 7, FIFA has repeatedly postponed a decision on the sanctions demands. FIFA and UEFA did not respond to inquiries from the NZZ. The Israel Football Association responded that it operates according to FIFA rules. "Nothing different has ever been determined."

The Israeli government is currently expanding its offensive in Gaza . And so the protests and calls for boycotts against Israeli athletes are likely to continue. As happened in August in Halifax, Canada, when demonstrators protested against Israeli tennis players at the Davis Cup. And as recently happened in Spain, where the Vuelta a España cycling race was accompanied by almost daily protests .

Members of the Israeli cycling team Israel Premier Tech, who are competing in the Vuelta, have been receiving death threats ever since. The organizers of the Vuelta a España asked the team to withdraw from the race – apparently arguing that the safety of riders and spectators could not be guaranteed otherwise. Israel Premier Tech refused, but from then on stopped using Israel lettering on its jerseys. Will such measures become the norm?

"Calls for a sports boycott serve solely to demonize and delegitimize Israel," says Alon Meyer, president of the Jewish sports association Makkabi Deutschland . Since the founding of the State of Israel, its athletes have repeatedly been discriminated against, boycotted, and excluded. Not only in the Middle East, but also in Europe. Athletes from Israel, which lies on the Mediterranean Sea, have never been allowed to participate in the Mediterranean Games, which take place every four years, sometimes also in Italy or Spain.

Since October 7, 2023, the hostility has reached a new level. Jewish Maccabi athletes are also being held responsible for the Israeli government's policies in Switzerland, Germany, and Great Britain, and the number of antisemitic insults has increased in many places. "The calls for a boycott also affect those people in Israel who are strongly opposed to the war and settlement policies," says Alon Meyer.

Relative to population, more people are demonstrating against the government in Israel than in any other country. And sports are also making their voices heard: Ziv Arie, coach of the Hapoel Jerusalem football club, called for greater government support for the remaining hostages in Gaza. Hundreds of ultras also carried banners in memory of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a fan who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas.

In a recent interview, Benjamin Netanyahu expressed sympathy for a "Greater Israel" and thus indirectly for the expulsion of the Palestinians. How should sports respond? One idea comes from Norway, where Israeli football players will be playing in October for the World Cup qualifiers. The Norwegian Football Association does not want to boycott the match, but will donate the proceeds to organizations working in Gaza.