🇺🇸 Trump moves to block Israel’s ban from world football 🇮🇱 | OneFootball

The United States government, under the Trump administration, has announced a direct intervention to prevent Israeli football teams and national selections from being subject to vetoes or sanctions by international bodies such as FIFA and UEFA.

The revelation, reported by Sky Sports, indicates that Washington will actively seek to stop any initiative aiming to exclude Israel from international football, especially with the FIFA World Cup 2026 largely being held on U.S. soil.

Direct Response to UN Pressure

The decision by the U.S. government comes at a time of high tension, following calls this week by UN expert advisors urging the world and European football governing bodies to suspend all Israeli teams due to the war in Gaza.

One of the calls came from the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, Alexandra Xanthaki, who stated that "sports cannot continue as usual" and that excluding Israel is a "red line" in light of "valid accusations of genocide" (accusations that Israel denies).

The U.S. Department of State, whose secretary is Marco Rubio, confirmed its stance to Sky News. "We will absolutely work to completely stop any attempt to ban Israel's national football team from the World Cup," a spokesperson told the British network.

UEFA and FIFA, in Full Debate Over Sanctions

The news comes amid rumors about the future of Israeli teams in international football. High-ranking officials in world football have been debating the paradox of Russia remaining banned from UEFA and FIFA for the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, while Israel continues to compete despite the growing number of casualties in Gaza.

Although UEFA has previously argued a difference in the onset of both conflicts (noting that Israel responded to Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023), international pressure has increased following accusations by a UN investigation commission of alleged acts of genocide.

FIFA, which is maintaining an open investigation into allegations of discrimination and the participation of Israeli settlement teams in the West Bank, has not responded to the calls from UN special rapporteurs.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

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