Football’s governing bodies are taking sides against Israeli self-defence, as UEFA’s latest antics show. Ahead of the European Super Cup clash between Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain FC (PSG) and the historically Jewish-supported team, Tottenham Hotspur, a banner was displayed on the pitch, saying “STOP KILLING CHILDREN—STOP KILLING CIVILIANS.
UEFA is football’s European governing body, meaning the use of the banner—which could appear to convey the blood libel of Jews murdering infants—at the match on Wednesday, August 13th in Udine, Italy was done in an official capacity. The organisation further amplified this message with a post on its official X account, captioning a photo of the banner with the words: ”From the UEFA Super Cup in Udine, the message is loud and clear. A banner. A call.”
While UEFA displays an anti-Israel propaganda banner, it takes a hard line against fans who stray from the official messaging. As the weekend after the disgraceful display in Udine rolled around, the brother of Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski was actively prevented from bringing an “I want my brother” banner into a UEFA game. His banner was confiscated at the Beitar Jerusalem vs. Riga match in Bucharest.
Amir Braslavski could be forgiven for hoping that the football authorities could show him the same level of courtesy, if not sympathy, as Spurs accorded fan and former hostage Emily Damari. Instead, UEFA is another sports governing body that fluctuates between indifference to and active collaboration with the enemies of democracy as seen after its most recent Champions League final led straight to the ‘PSG Riots’ that tore up Paris this summer.
