UEFA President Reiterates Objection to Banning Israel as Spanish Club Sparks Backlash for Signing Israeli Player
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Udine, Italy, August 13th 2025, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin with Palestinian girl Tala and 9-year old Mohamed from Gaza during the medals ceremony at the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain (France) and Tottenham Hotspur (England) at Stadium Friuli, Udine, Italy. Photo: Natasa Kupljenik / SPP/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Aleksander Čeferin, the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), repeated his opposition to banning Israel from international competitions in a new interview with Politico.
The head of European soccer’s governing body made the remarks amid calls to bar Israel from participating in soccer matches around the world, and just as the Spanish soccer team Villarreal caused an uproar among fans for signing Israeli soccer star Manor Solomon.
Čeferin said last month that, in general, he is against banning athletes from competitions. He told Politico the same in relation to Israeli athletes, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and at the same time condemned what he described as “reckless politicians” for contributing to the “slaughter” of children around the world.
“Look, first of all, what’s happening with civilians there is personally hurting, killing me,” the UEFA president said of Gaza. “From the other point of view, I’m not a supporter of banning the athletes. Because what can an athlete do to their government to stop the war? It’s very, very hard. Now, the ban for Russian teams is, I think, three and a half years. Did the [Ukraine] war stop? It didn’t … I cannot say what will happen. There are talks about everything, but me personally, I’m against kicking the athletes out.”
“I cannot understand how a politician who can do a lot to stop the slaughter, anywhere, can go to sleep seeing all the children and all the civilians dead,” he added. “I don’t understand it. You know, the idea football should solve these problems? No way.”
The UEFA received backlash from pro-Israel supporters in August for displaying a banner on the pitch at the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine, Italy, that said, “Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians.” The UEFA invited two children from the Gaza Strip to participate in the medal ceremony at the same match. The organization was accused of double standards for displaying the banner, since the UEFA bans political messaging at matches and recently launched disciplinary proceedings against the Israeli team Maccabi Haifa after its fans displayed an anti-Polish banner.
Talking to Politico, Čeferin defended the “Stop killing children” banner and insisted that it was not political. He even claimed that he had “full, full support” from the president of the Israeli Football Federation, who he said is a good friend. While expressing support for the banner, Čeferin also suggested that Israel is waging a war in Gaza because of “geopolitical interests,” and not in response to the deadly Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, or in an effort to rescue the hostages abducted by the terrorists and held captive in Gaza.
“When you see children dying all around the world because of — it’s a diplomatic statement, if I say — reckless politicians. Whoever thinks that ‘Stop Killing Children, Stop Killing Civilians’ is a political message is an idiot, for me,” Čeferin said. “We don’t interfere in politics, but we will not say that killing children anywhere or civilians is a good thing. We have to say we despise it, and we will always say it.”
“If such a big thing is going on, such a terrible thing that doesn’t allow me to sleep — not me, all my colleagues — nobody in this organization said we shouldn’t do it. No one. Then you have to do what is the right thing to do,” he told Politico. “It’s terrible that children are dying because of political interest, starving to death. Mohamed, who was giving the medals [at last month’s UEFA Super Cup] with me, lost his mother and his father [in Gaza]. And he was heavily injured. I’ve never seen a child hugging me so much as he did. He needs love. He doesn’t need another bomb on his head because of a geopolitical interest.”
In August, the Association of Italian Coaches demanded, “on behalf of the Palestinian people,” that Israel be temporarily suspended from international competitions held by the Italian Soccer Federation, UEFA,and FIFA. Earlier in the month, the German soccer club Fortuna Düsseldorf backed out of signing Israeli striker Shon Weissman after the athlete expressed support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza during its war targeting Hamas terrorists who orchestrated and perpetrated the attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The Norwegian Football Association also recently condemned what it claimed were “disproportionate attacks” against civilians in Gaza and said it will donate profits from an Oct. 11 game against Israel to aid humanitarian causes in Gaza.
On Monday, Spain’s soccer club Villarreal announced that it signed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur to have Solomon join the Spanish team on loan. The news resulted in a social media frenzy in which Villarreal fans said the left winger was “not welcome at Villarreal and does not deserve the affection of its supporters.” Fans urged the team to boycott the Israeli forward while the Kfar Saba native, who previously played for Israel’s national team, was accused of being a “genocide supporter” and called antisemitic names for being a Zionist.
