UEFA Chief Defends Israeli Teams’ Participation
(MENAFN) UEFA head Aleksander Ceferin has admitted that the involvement of Israeli national squads and clubs in European competitions during the ongoing Gaza conflict is “a legitimate question,” though he stood by the governing body’s present position allowing them to play.
Speaking to media in Slovenia on Thursday, Ceferin expressed his usual resistance to banning sportspeople from events, likening the issue to the extended exclusion of Russian teams.
“This is a legitimate question. In principle, I am not an advocate of not allowing athletes to compete in competitions,” he stated.
“We see that athletes have not competed for three and a half years and the war is even worse than it was. I know that many are opponents of the regime, but they still cannot play.”
He pointed out that in Israel’s case, sports and government affairs are “very intertwined,” but emphasized that UEFA’s current approach remains unchanged.
“For now, that’s our decision. It’s very difficult for me to comment on what could happen. But in principle, I think that all athletes should have the opportunity to compete and that other things should be handled differently,” he remarked.
Commenting on the episode where Slovenian volleyball athletes refused to shake hands with Israeli players after a European Championship qualifier, Ceferin said: “It is difficult for me to comment on their decision, but on a principled level I can say that I do not like it when athletes do not shake hands with each other.”
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