Advocacy groups call for European ban on Israel team and players in Times Square billboard
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK : A coalition of advocacy organisations and fan groups called on European soccer federations to boycott Israel in a billboard in New York's Times Square that went live on Tuesday, kicking off the #GameOverIsrael campaign months ahead of the World Cup.
New York is set to host eight matches in the World Cup next year, including the final. Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the quadrennial international competition with the United States.
The campaign calls on soccer federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, and Spain to boycott the Israeli national team and ban Israeli players from domestic competitions, citing the ongoing attacks in Gaza.
Reached for comment, the Israel Football Association said in a statement: "When will the group of hypocrites behind the pathetic call find it appropriate to condemn the October 7 massacre, call for the release of Israeli hostages who have been languishing in the tunnels of the Nazi terrorist organization Hamas for two years in inhumane conditions, or be responsible for something that doesn't feel like sickening anti-Semitism?"
Reuters was not immediately able to reach FIFA and UEFA for comment.
"As the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Americans must not allow our stadiums to become platforms for whitewashing war crimes," said American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee National Executive Director Abed Ayoub in a statement.
The ADC launched the #GameOverIsrael initiative with several European partners.
"We stand with our European counterparts and demand that every football governing body take immediate and decisive action to bar Israel from international competition," said Ayoub. "The world must tell Israel that the game is over, and there is no room in sports for war criminals."
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israeli officials rejected the findings of the report, with Israel's ambassador to the United Nations calling it "scandalous" and "fake".
The billboard, which was located near the intersection of Broadway and West 43rd Street, contains the word “genocide”, which ADC said was only approved by the billboard company after it saw the text of the U.N. commission’s report.
Israel are currently third in the table in their World Cup qualifying Group I, behind Norway and Italy. The winners of UEFA's 12 qualifying groups gain direct entry to the World Cup while the runners-up go into the playoffs.
