Huge Anti-Israel Protest Banner Unfurled in Toronto Ahead of FIFA Matches

Hours before Canada’s match against Bosnia in Toronto, activists displayed a giant banner across the city reading, “Kick Israel out of FIFA.” They said the stunt was meant to send “an unmistakable visual message” to FIFA officials ahead of the first World Cup match on Canadian soil.

The protesters accused FIFA of violating its own rules by allowing games on what they called occupied territory without approval. They said the organization was taking a political position while “whitewashing Israel’s crimes” by broadcasting matches. They pointed to FIFA’s swift expulsion of Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, and said that after “two and a half years of genocide,” Israel’s occupation of Syrian territory and war against Iran have not drawn a similar response. “This shows us FIFA takes political positions even though it claims neutrality,” they said.

The activists said FIFA officials ignored the protest and that no formal response came from the federation. Their aim, they said, was to draw public attention on the first day of World Cup matches in Canada and press the issue of “the integrity of the game,” arguing that football cannot unite people while there are “clear double standards” and political benefits for states accused of war crimes.

In a separate statement, they said it is impossible to celebrate “fair play” while Palestinian stadiums are turned into military detention camps and hundreds of players, coaches and referees have been killed. The group also warned World Cup sponsors that their brands were funding what it called a glaring ethical contradiction. Meanwhile, Palestinian Football Association chairman Jibril Rajoub said he still had not received a U.S. visa for the tournament. Rajoub, who attended Thursday’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, told AP, “I do not believe it is fair to use or abuse and deny the right of all the footballers of the world to participate.” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last year that everyone would be welcomed at the World Cup, but later reversed course after the Somali referee Omar Artan visa ban case, saying FIFA has no authority over visas or border controls.