The Italian Coaches’ Association has sent a letter to the president of the Italian soccer federation (FIGC), urging him to call for the temporary suspension of Israel from international competitions. The association cited Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza as the reason for its request.
The development, first reported by Italian news agency ANSA, comes less than a month before the Israel national team is scheduled to play a crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier against Italy.
The teams are set to face off twice, first in Romania on September 7, and again in Italy on October 14.
The coaches’ letter urges the FIGC to forward the request for a ban to both the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
The letter comes days after UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, when asked why Russia is excluded from UEFA while Israel is not, said that “this is a legitimate question.”
“I don’t support banning athletes from competitions in principle,” Čeferin explained. “In the case of Russia, the athletes have not participated for three and a half years, and the war has only worsened. I know many athletes oppose the regime, but they still cannot play. I am against denying them the right to participate in our competitions.”
When asked about Israel’s participation, Čeferin stated, “Israel is allowed to play in our facilities. This is our decision as of now. It’s hard for me to say what will happen in the future, but I really think all athletes should be given the opportunity to compete. Other issues should be resolved in different ways.”
Several days earlier, UEFA placed a giant banner on the pitch before a match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham in Udine, Italy, reading: “Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians.” However, it then prevented the family of Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski from holding signs at the Beitar Jerusalem vs. Riga match in Bucharest, calling for his release from captivity.
FIFA has also dealt with requests to ban Israel in recent years, most notably from the Palestinian Authority and from Iran. In 2024, FIFA delayed for a second time its decision on a Palestinian Authority bid to have Israel suspended from international soccer.