By Ashley Pemberton
Copyright dailystar
Donald Trump will try to stop Fifa from banning Israel from next year’s World Cup , it has emerged. Calls have grown for sanctions against the country after a UN commission of inquiry said earlier this month it has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Uefa is set to make a decision next week on whether to suspend Israel and most members of its executive committee are said to be in favour of a ban, similar to how Russia was banned from international football tournaments since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine . Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for sporting sanctions against Israel, saying: “Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whitewash its image.” But Trump’s government said it would work to stop Israel being banned from international football ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which is being held in the US, Canada and Mexico. A US State Department spokesperson told BBC Sport : “We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup.” Last year, Fifa launched an investigation into allegations of discrimination raised by the Palestine Football Association against the Israeli FA. There is also a probe into whether teams from Israeli settlements in the West Bank playing in Israeli competitions breaches Fifa regulations. Israel’s next match is against Norway on 11 October in a World Cup qualifier. Earlier this month, Norwegian football federation president Lise Klaveness said the organisation “has to deal with Israel participating in their competitions.” But she added: “Neither we nor other organisations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time.” The UN report said there were “reasonable grounds” to conclude four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law had been carried out since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel in 2023. A panel of UN human rights experts called on world football governing body Fifa and its European body Uefa to suspend Israel’s national team from international football, saying: “Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual.” Fifa is yet to respond to the UN’s calls but president Gianni Infantino said in a speech this week in New York that “it is difficult to sanction countries involved in conflict”, but added: ‘I suffer when I see children suffer. I cry when I see mothers crying, whether it’s in Gaza… anywhere in the world.’ However, Russia remains banned from international competition due to its war with Ukraine and won’t play at the World Cup, which starts next June. The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, but Israel denies its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence. Its foreign ministry called the UN report “distorted and false”. Israel’s national team is third in its World Cup qualifying group, which is organised by Uefa, on nine points, six behind leaders Norway and tied on points with Italy. The top team from each group qualifies automatically, with the runners-up going into the play-offs. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .
