A group of more than 30 legal experts has written to Uefa urging the European governing body to push ahead with a vote to suspend Israel because of its actions in Gaza.
The letter has been organised by the campaign group Game Over Israel, which has also commissioned a giant billboard in Madrid’s Plaza de Lavapiés from Monday that will say: “Israel is committing genocide. Soccer federations: Boycott Israel.”
Uefa had planned to hold a vote of its executive committee this week after a UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, with a large majority of members understood to be in favour of a ban. That has been paused to see if Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan can get support — but Uefa may return to the issue if the situation continues.
A billboard in Times Square displays the message “Israel is committing genocide” as part of the campaign by Game Over Israel calling for a boycott of the country by football federations over the war in Gaza
REUTERS/JEENAH MOON
The signatories to the letter include Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, the executive director of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, and Professor Richard A Falk, from Princeton University, a former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories.
The letter claims Israeli forces have killed at least 421 Palestinian footballers and “destroyed Gaza’s football infrastructure”.
It adds: “Uefa must not be complicit in sportswashing such flagrant breaches of international law, including but not limited to the act of genocide.”
The campaign group organised a similar billboard for Times Square in New York last month and the former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona called for Israel to be banned, saying the sporting boycott of South Africa helped to bring an end to apartheid.
McLaren chief Brown faces High Court grilling
McLaren Racing’s chief executive Zak Brown is due to be grilled in the High Court next week as part of a $20million (about £15million) claim by the team against IndyCar driver Alex Palou for alleged breach of contract.
Palou is being represented by Nick De Marco KC, who is due to cross-examine Brown. De Marco argued in court this week that Palou had been “deceived” by Brown into joining McLaren on the promise of becoming a Formula 1 driver, which was why he returned to his former team Chip Ganassi Racing.
Kushner, right, is well connected, since he is the son-in-law of Donald Trump, left
ALAMY
The latest McLaren accounts published this week show Brown was paid £37million, up from £26million, last year as the British team won the Formula 1 constructors’ championship for the first time in 26 years.
It would be no surprise if Fifa are back in the game
Fifa will be keeping a close eye on the £55billion takeover of Esports giant EA Sports by the Saudi public investment fund (PIF), Silver Lake private equity fund and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners.
The decision by Fifa to remove its name from the hugely popular football video game now called EA Sports FC was baffling at the time, and promises by Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, to develop a rival have failed to materialise.
Given the involvement of the PIF and Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, it would hardly be a surprise if a deal was done that restored “Fifa” as the game’s name — especially as most players still call it that anyway.
Dickie Bird wanted red wine with cake, not a cup of tea
Jocelyn Galsworthy’s exhibition of cricket and yachting paintings at Cowes on Sunday will feature her portrait of Dickie Bird, which will be on sale for the first time.
The umpire, who died last month aged 92, took the train from Yorkshire to London for the sitting and a taxi from the station. He then had a row with the driver, got out and hailed another cab — and submitted a bill to Galsworthy for the train and both taxi journeys.
Bird also declined the offer of a cup of tea to go with sandwiches and cake and instead polished off a bottle of red wine during the sitting.
Sense of irony behind new Wrexham sponsor . . .
It is good to see that Wrexham’s co-owner, Rob Mac, has a developed sense of irony.
The Hollywood actor changed his name from McElhenney to Mac in the summer via a legal filing in Los Angeles, which this week was confirmed on Wrexham’s ownership details on Companies House.
In the same week as Mac changed his name, Wrexham announced a sponsorship deal with Ancestry to be on the front of their training kit. The platform aims to help people trace their family histories.