Activists in Toronto unfurled a banner reading, “Kick Israel out of FIFA,” over a FIFA logo on Lakeshore Boulevard on Friday morning ahead of the city’s first World Cup game.
The boulevard is a busy thoroughfare that thousands of commuters take daily into the city.
“While people are paying attention to the games, I think it’s important for them to also be aware of the institutional complicity of organizations that are holding these games,” activist Faisal Ibrahim told The Maple.
“While they claim not to be political in nature, they actually serve a role to normalize erasure and occupation through sports washing Israel’s image.”
The activists, some of whom wore shirts reading “Jews Say No To Genocide,” want Israel removed from the world’s premier football organization because Israel holds games on occupied Palestinian land.
Israel did not qualify for this year’s World Cup after its national team lost 3-0 to Italy in a qualification match last October.
However, both the Israeli national team and Israeli clubs are members of FIFA and UEFA, Europe’s continental football body, meaning the teams are eligible to play in international competitions.
The Toronto activists also said they want to bring attention to Natalie Abu Dayyeh, a 20-year-old Palestinian football player whom Israel detained in the week before the World Cup, and Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who was abducted by Israel in 2024 and has been detained ever since. His family says he has shown signs of torture.
‘A Collapse of The Rulebook’
After their demonstration, the activists noted in a press release that FIFA suspended the Russian national team and Russian clubs within days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The activists accused FIFA of not only tolerating Israeli league clubs playing on illegally occupied Palestinian land, “but actively facilitating and broadcasting the matches on its official channel.”
“This constitutes de facto recognition of illegal annexation and a collapse of the rulebook FIFA claims to uphold.”
FIFA’s constitution states: “Member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter’s approval.” The Palestine Football Association is a member of FIFA.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Ibrahim said that FIFA’s inclusion of Israel shows that it is not a neutral organization.
“It highlights clear political alignments despite their claims of being neutral,” he said. “We saw [FIFA President] Gianni Infantino hand [U.S. President Donald] Trump a FIFA peace prize.”
Ibrahim noted that the United States is the main international player in supplying Israel with weapons as it carries out a genocide in Gaza.
Canada’s national team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Toronto Stadium this afternoon.
