Rabat – Mustapha Ramid, Morocco’s former justice minister, has called on FIFA to ban Israel from the upcoming World Cup 2026 amid Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) genocidal war on civilians in Gaza.
Ramid has cited FIFA’s swift expulsion of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, criticizing the football organization for treating the Israeli national team on normal terms despite the IOF’s relentless genocide and war crimes in the region.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ramid said: “Today, despite the Israeli army killing tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, FIFA continues to treat Israel normally and rolls out the red carpet for its national team.”
Ramid demanded that FIFA take immediate action before Italy’s match against Israel next week.
The former minister specifically called on Moroccans and the greater international community to sign a petition taking action against Israel.
The petition collected over 459,603 signatures, urging FIFA to suspend Israel from participating in the World Cup until its government ends its genocidal war on civilians in Gaza.
“Over 55,000 Palestinians have been killed within two years – families, babies, and the equivalent of entire teams of athletes erased. Yet, FIFA continues to roll out the red carpet for Israel,” the petition reads.
The petition detailed that a group of Italian football coaches is already taking a stand, calling on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from the tournament, specifically recalling that the footballing body took action against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
“Why the double standards when it comes to Israel’s war crimes?” the petition concluded.
IOF continue their relentless bombardment of Gaza, killing at least 87 people on Saturday as well as 17 others overnight, with strikes targeting tents, a school, and a civilian residence.
As of now, the death toll from Israel’s genocide since October 2023 has climbed to more than 64,3000 Palestinians, while 162,770 others are wounded.
Israel’s illegal starvation campaign has killed more than 109 people, including dozens of children.
