The hypocrisy of the West and its Western-controlled sporting organisations is glaring for anyone willing to see. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia was swiftly ejected from most major sporting events, its players blacklisted, its flags removed, and daily tributes to Ukraine mandated across almost every major sport. Football, the world’s most popular game, was at the forefront of this campaign, with FIFA and UEFA leading the charge to ostracise Russia and rally support for Ukraine.
Yet this same principle has been glaringly absent in the case of Israel, whose far more prolonged and brutal genocide is a far cry from the war in Ukraine. Despite years of bloodshed, FIFA and UEFA have refused to suspend Israel or its teams from competitions. Instead, they have gone so far as to confiscate Palestinian flags from fans and players at matches. But the voices of the people cannot be silenced indefinitely.
The death of Suleiman al-Obaid—known as the “Palestinian Pelé”—in an Israeli airstrike is a case in point. UEFA’s statement on his death was so sanitised that it read more like a retirement notice than an acknowledgment of a targeted killing. The wording deliberately sidestepped any mention of Israeli culpability, sparking widespread outrage across the footballing world. Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah was among those who publicly demanded UEFA name the party responsible.
Rather than confront the criticism, UEFA doubled down. At its latest Super Cup match, banners vaguely calling for an end to violence against children were displayed, without naming anyone —virtue signalling of the most selective kind.
Such actions have only deepened anger among football fans and further exposed FIFA and UEFA’s double standards. Their willingness to punish Russia while shielding Israel reveals not only political bias but also a disturbing readiness to abandon moral consistency when it is politically inconvenient.
