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The United Nations has added Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez’s construction company, ACS (Actividades de Construcción y Servicios, S.A.), and its subsidiary SEMI to its blacklist for operating in occupied Palestinian land.
According to El Mundo, the UN accuses ACS of using local resources to build infrastructure that supports Israel’s illegal settlements, a move that comes as Spain’s football community grows increasingly critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.
ACS, a global construction and engineering firm, and Sociedad Española de Montajes Industriales (SEMI), its industrial and electrical subsidiary, are among 70 new companies added to the UN list following an independent fact-finding mission in the occupied territories. In total, 158 companies are now blacklisted.
The UN says these firms are accused of “providing equipment or materials that facilitate the construction and maintenance of settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes, surveillance activities, or the commercial exploitation of natural resources.”
An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers live in around 250 settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, all considered illegal under international law.
ACS has denied having contracts in either occupied Palestine or Israel, reportedly attributing its inclusion to the sale of SEMI to the French group Vinci.
The UN list also includes other Spanish companies such as Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) and the public firm Ingeniería y Economía del Transporte (INECO), both of which deny having operations in occupied areas.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid remains one of the few major Spanish clubs not to publicly condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza. During a recent league match, Osasuna fans displayed a banner reading “Give Israel a Red Card” in protest.
