ANKARA: Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, president of the Turkish football federation, has written to FIFA, UEFA and other FAs urging them to ban Israel from international sporting competition.

The request came as European football’s governing body appears poised for an emergency vote next week on suspending Israel from its tournaments, with national federations coming under mounting political pressure following calls for action.

Haciosmanoglu wrote: “Despite positioning themselves as defenders of civic values and peace, the sporting world and football institutions have remained silent for far too long,” Haciosmanoglu wrote in the letter according to the Anadolu Agency.

“Guided by these values, we feel compelled to raise our deep concern regarding the unlawful (and more importantly, completely inhumane and unacceptable) situation being carried out by the State of Israel in Gaza and its surrounding areas.”

A United Nations commission of inquiry issued a report this week concluding that Israel has committed genocide during the war in Gaza and calling for its suspension from international football.

Israel has denied committing genocide and described the report as scandalous.

Haciosmanoglu added: “The situation had long been desperate, but in recent days it has reached a new level of urgency following the interventions of various institutions,” added Haciosmanoglu.

Israel says its military offensive in Gaza is not against the population but against the Hamas militant group whose fighters led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave, and caused widespread devastation and hunger.

Earlir ths week an Israel FA spokesman said: “We don’t have any indications that we are facing such an act (UEFA suspension).”

Israel compete under the UEFA umbrella, having been removed from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974 by a vote after several countries refused to play against them.

In 1991 UEFA permitted Israel’s national team to participate within the framework of European football.

A year later, Israeli clubs began appearing in UEFA competitions. By 1994, Israel had been granted full membership of the organisation, moving beyond its earlier associate status.

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