Soccer-Advocacy groups call for European ban on Israel team, players in Times Square billboard

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WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -A coalition of advocacy organisations and fan groups called on European soccer federations to boycott Israel in a Times Square billboard that went live on Tuesday, kicking off the #GameOverIsrael campaign months ahead of the World Cup.

The billboard went up on Tuesday in New York, which is set to host eight matches in the World Cup next year, including the final. Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the quadrennial international competition with the United States.

The campaign calls on soccer federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, and Spain to boycott the Israel national team and ban Israeli players from domestic competitions, citing the ongoing attacks in Gaza.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach FIFA, UEFA and the Israel Football Association for comment.

“As the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Americans must not allow our stadiums to become platforms for whitewashing war crimes,” said American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee National Executive Director Abed Ayoub in a statement.

The ADC launched the #GameOverIsrael initiative with several European partners.

“We stand with our European counterparts and demand that every football governing body take immediate and decisive action to bar Israel from international competition,” said Ayoub. “The world must tell Israel that the game is over, and there is no room in sports for war criminals.”

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israeli officials rejected the findings of the report, with Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations calling it “scandalous” and “fake”.

The billboard, which was located near the intersection of Broadway and West 43rd Street, contains the word “genocide,” which ADC said was only approved by the billboard company after it saw the text of the U.N. commission’s report.

Israel are currently third in the table in their World Cup qualifying Group I, behind Norway and Italy. The winners of UEFA’s 12 qualifying groups gain direct entry to the World Cup while the runners-up go into the playoffs.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington, D.C. and Jeenah Moon in New York, writing by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Michael Perry)