FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin are accused of aiding war crimes in a case filed with the International Criminal Court.
“Irish Sport for Palestine” made a name for itself by organizing an open letter published in 2023 with the signatures of more than 300 well-known Irish athletes in response to the genocide in Gaza.
The organization broke new ground by accusing Infantino and Ceferin of aiding war crimes and crimes against humanity in a case filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Rebecca O’Keeffe, a member of the Irish Sports for Palestine Association, emphasized the importance of this legal process and underlined that it would be “a first” in history for leaders of sports institutions to be accused of aiding war crimes and crimes against humanity.
O’Keeffe said the Irish Sports for Palestine Association is “an association of athletes demanding sanctions against the genocidal Israeli regime, including organizing sanctions, bans from sporting events and investigating violations of sporting statutes.” He stated that it was.
Stating that this case is an important and not to be underestimated action, O’Keeffe stated that with this case, FIFA and UEFA leaders cannot act with impunity and cannot protect themselves from lack of accountability.
Expressing the importance of the trial of Infantino and Ceferin as a precedent, O’Keefe said, “We hope that it will be a step towards imposing sanctions on the Israeli Football Federation in the coming period.” he said.
– Infantino and Ceferin’s failure to take steps against Israel, which committed war crimes
Emphasizing that the Ceferin and Infantino files to be submitted to the International Criminal Court are built on two main foundations, O’Keeffe continued as follows:
“By allowing Israeli football clubs in illegal settlements, UEFA and FIFA voluntarily participate in the normalization of life in the settlements and participate in the relocation of the civilian population to the occupied territories, which means they support war crimes. If life in the illegal settlements were not normalized, there would be no settlers migrating to occupied Palestine. The second accusation is that the clubs in illegal settlements apply a system of racial discrimination and ban Palestinians from participating in matches, playing in clubs or taking part in management. “It supports crimes against humanity, especially ‘apartheid’.”
O’Keeffe also stated that UEFA and FIFA actually contributed to the colonization of Palestine by not expelling Israeli clubs, that they could not sue them at the ICC due to the structure of these organizations, but that the people at the head of them were responsible for the policies of the organizations.
Stating that they believe that the evidence they have is sufficient to apply to the ICC, O’Keeffe said, “There are reports, testimonies, FIFA internal correspondence, reports from human rights organizations and civil society. However, due to the sensitive nature of the file and confidentiality, I cannot disclose more than that.” he said
DOUBLE STANDARDS TO RUSSIA
O’Keeffe emphasized that it was hypocrisy and double standards that FIFA and UEFA banned Russia four days after the invasion of Ukraine but did not impose any sanctions against Israel.
Stating that the main explanation for the lack of sanctions against Israel is politics and political intervention, O’Keeffe said, “It is quite clear that both the US and the Israeli governments are in close relations with the leaders of UEFA and FIFA. If the rules were applied equally, sanctions would have been imposed on Israel a long time ago.” he said.
Emphasizing that Infantino and Ceferin use football to serve Israel’s goals, O’Keeffe said, “Football, led by Infantino and Ceferin, is used as a tool to legitimize settlements and occupy stolen Palestinian lands. They are fully aware that their practices violate human rights, but they continue to ignore human rights reports. They also continue to ignore the Palestinian Football Federation, which has been asking FIFA to abolish ‘settlement clubs’ for 15 years.” he said.
IRELAND’S HISTORICAL SUPPORT TO PALESTINE
O’Keeffe stated that they received great support from the international sports community and other circles.
Referring to the colonial history of the Irish people, addressing the importance of support from the Irish people in particular, O’Keeffe said, “Ireland, given its own colonial history, is known as a committed supporter of Palestinian freedom, which is well documented, but I think what really matters is Irish civil society.” he said.
Emphasizing that he believes that the FIFA and UEFA presidents will not remain unpunished and cannot protect themselves from accountability, O’Keeffe said, “This case will set a much-needed precedent for others. Beyond that, we hope that this case will be a step towards imposing sanctions on the Israeli Football Federation.” He concluded his words by saying.
➡️ A lawsuit was filed at the International Criminal Court against Infantino and Ceferin, who remained silent about Israel’s genocides. 🇮🇪🇵🇸 Rebecca O’Keeffe, a member of the Irish Sports Association for Palestine established in Ireland: 💬 “This case is a reason for sanctions to be imposed on the Israeli Football Federation.” pic.twitter.com/c4QqNBJNeK
— AA SPORTS (@aa_spor) December 8, 2025