The Italian Association of Coaches calls for the suspension of Israel by UEFA and FIFA

As qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the Italian Association of Coaches (Assoallenatorori) sent a letter to the president of the Italian Football Federation, Gabriele Gravina, asking UEFA and FIFA to suspend Israel of international competitions due to the war in Gaza.

“It is not a symbolic gesture, but a necessary choice, dictated by a moral imperative,” said Renzo Ulivieri, president of the Assoallenatori, recalling that the decision had been taken unanimously by the national management. Vice-president Giancarlo Camolese explained to the Ansa agency: “We would like us to be silent, that we were playing without saying anything. But we think it’s not fair. »»

The recent death of Suleiman al-Obeid, nicknamed the “Palestinian Palestinian”, deeply moved the world of football. Mohamed Salah, star of Liverpool, arrested FIFA for passing the circumstances of his death in silence. “The world is on fire. Too many people suffer, like the Palestinians. Indifference is unacceptable “insisted on another vice-president of the association, Francesco Peondi.

The position of the Italian coaches comes as the UN alerts to the famine imposed in Gaza and that many international organizations denounce a real genocide. The parallel with South Africa in apartheid is essential: at the time, the sports boycott had formed a powerful lever to break isolation and delegitimize a criminal regime. Today, faced with massacres and mass destruction inflicted on the Palestinians, the silence of the world of sport is becoming more and more untenable. By calling for suspending Israel, Italian coaches recall that football is not only a game, but also a space where human dignity and universal consciousness are played out.