Hawzah News Agency – Long gone are the days when much of the sports solidarity emerged from the fanbase of clubs like Celtic, Deportivo Palestino, or Arab teams. Gaza is now the undisputed focal point of sports solidarity worldwide. The consequences of this are arguably the most significant in terms of achieving total global awareness of the Israeli genocide in Gaza in particular, but also of the Israeli military occupation and apartheid in the whole of occupied Palestine.

For years, mainstream media did its utmost to ignore the pro-Palestine flags, banners, and chants. When solidarity exceeded tolerable levels, whether in Scotland or Chile, FIFA cracked down with fines and various other punitive measures. Nowadays, however, such tactics are utterly failing. Celtic Park, at times, seems to be one massive pro-Palestine rally, and numerous other clubs are joining in, or expanding their efforts.

In the Paris Saint-Germain UEFA Champions League final against Inter on May 31, it seemed as if the entire PSG supporters’ activities focused on Palestine. The chants of ‘Nous sommes tous les enfants de Gaza’ – “We are all the children of Gaza” echoed everywhere, inside and outside the stadium. As soon as Achraf Hakimi scored the opening goal, a massive flag unfurled in the background: '‘STOP THE GENOCIDE IN GAZA’'.

In the Palestinian case, however, there is a complete moral breakdown on the part of institutions like FIFA, while football fan bases are the ones championing solidarity.

But FIFA is yet to take any measure against Israel despite the blatant racism within Israel’s sports institutions, and also the direct harm it is imposing on Palestinian sports. FIFA’s go-to excuse is the slogan: ‘sports and politics don’t mix.’ But if that is the case, why then, did FIFA seamlessly mix the two following the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Though FIFA continues to fail Palestine, sports fans refuse to be part of this moral travesty. And ultimately, it will be the tenacity of the Palestinians and the growing solidarity with their just cause that will eventually force FIFA to take action, not only for the sake of Palestine, or even the future of the sport, but for FIFA’s own relevance.

Source: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR