NEW DELHI: Iran‘s football federation has requested FIFA to suspend Israel’s football federation due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The request, posted on the Iranian football federation’s website, urged FIFA to completely suspend the Israeli federation from all football-related activities.
It also demanded immediate action from FIFA and its member associations to address the Israeli “crimes” and provide aid to innocent civilians in the region.
The war in Gaza started on October 7 when Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
According to official Israeli figures, the conflict has claimed the lives of approximately 1,160 people, mostly civilians.
In response, Israel has launched air strikes and a ground offensive, resulting in the deaths of at least 27,947 people, predominantly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Iran has praised Hamas’s attack but denies direct involvement in the conflict.
As Iran does not recognize Israel and prohibits any contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes, the country’s authorities have taken punitive measures against individuals who engage with Israelis. Tehran imposed a lifetime ban on weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei after he shook hands with an Israeli competitor at an event in Poland last August.
In 2021, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged athletes not to shake hands with Israeli representatives to win medals, reinforcing the country’s stance on the Israeli government.
In addition to Iran, several Middle Eastern football associations, including Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have also called on world football authorities to ban Israel from international competition due to the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
(With AFP input)
The request, posted on the Iranian football federation’s website, urged FIFA to completely suspend the Israeli federation from all football-related activities.
It also demanded immediate action from FIFA and its member associations to address the Israeli “crimes” and provide aid to innocent civilians in the region.
The war in Gaza started on October 7 when Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
According to official Israeli figures, the conflict has claimed the lives of approximately 1,160 people, mostly civilians.
In response, Israel has launched air strikes and a ground offensive, resulting in the deaths of at least 27,947 people, predominantly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Iran has praised Hamas’s attack but denies direct involvement in the conflict.
As Iran does not recognize Israel and prohibits any contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes, the country’s authorities have taken punitive measures against individuals who engage with Israelis. Tehran imposed a lifetime ban on weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei after he shook hands with an Israeli competitor at an event in Poland last August.
In 2021, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged athletes not to shake hands with Israeli representatives to win medals, reinforcing the country’s stance on the Israeli government.
In addition to Iran, several Middle Eastern football associations, including Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have also called on world football authorities to ban Israel from international competition due to the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
(With AFP input)
