Irish Sport for Palestine accuses Fifa and Uefa of 'aiding and abetting war crimes'

The organisation said the complaint to the International Criminal Court centres on both organisations' inclusion of Israeli football clubs based in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory in its tournaments

Israel's midfielder, no. 20 Ethane Azoulay and Belgium's midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga during the Uefa Nations League, match at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest, Hungary, in 2024. Precedent was set by Belgium in 2024 when they deemed it 'impossible to organise this very high-risk match' due to tensions linked to the degree of public ill-feeling towards the Israeli state. File picture: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP

The Irish Sport for Palestine organisation is part of an international group which has complained to the International Criminal Court (ICC) about Fifa and Uefa, accusing the football administrators of "aiding and abetting war crimes" by allowing Israeli teams' continued participation in football.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Uefa President Aleksandr Čeferin were specifically accused of the "transfer of civilian population into occupied territories", and "crimes against humanity" under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).