French group urges players to boycott France-Israel football match

By Umit Donmez

PARIS (AA) - A French group is spearheading a vigorous campaign urging French team players to refuse to take to the field for this Thursday’s France-Israel football match in Paris.

In an article published on Monday, EuroPalestine blasted the event as a "France-Genocide match,” urging the players to question the ethical implications of their participation in such a context.

Videos from the boycott campaign address the footballers directly, saying they serve as "ambassadors of France and role models for millions of young people."

In a video on the EuroPalestine website, the NGO stresses the influence of French players as global icons, saying “the impact of their actions can have far beyond the playing field."

Pointing to "the tragic and unjust situation of the Palestinian people," it urged the players to take a stand against "the blockade, bombings, massacres, famine, torture, rapes, and genocide" that the Palestinians are suffering.

The campaign encouraged the players to act as voices for the oppressed, comparing this stance to that of sports legends like Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, and Cathy Freeman, whose actions "have gone down in history, not just for their talent but especially for their commitment."

It called on them to seize this "privileged and historic opportunity" to refuse to participate in the match, thus denouncing the violence seen as the "worst atrocities of a colonial and genocidal state."

According to the EuroPalestine, such a gesture would enhance admiration for the French players and demonstrate that "sport can be a platform for noble and human values."

Football fans and online activists are joining this call, with hashtags and messages of support for the Palestinians.

- Stop Genocide urges French Football Federation to cancel match

Last Tuesday, the Stop Genocide collective requested the cancellation of the France-Israel match during a meeting with the director-general of the French Football Federation (FFF), following a protest at FFF headquarters, where activists occupied the premises.

The FFF reportedly told the delegation it "understands" the anger sparked by this event, according to Stop Genocide.

FFF officials even admitted having expressed their "concerns" about this match to UEFA, the European football organization, and to French authorities from the start.

But the FFF said the decision is beyond their control and pointed to UEFA as the sole decision-maker, stressing that France "was ordered" to hold the match despite the tensions caused by the situation in Palestine.

Since a cross-border attack by Hamas in October 2023, Israel has continued its aggression on the Gaza Strip, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Since then, more than 43,600 people, mainly children and women, have been killed, and over 100,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli aggression has displaced nearly the entire population of the territory as part of a permanent blockade that has caused severe shortages of food, drinking water, and medicine. Israel is also accused of perpetrating a genocide in Palestine, before the International Court of Justice.