Overview

• In a new Politico interview, Aleksander Čeferin said he opposes banning athletes and attributed Israel’s continued participation to the absence of the strong political pressure that preceded Russia’s exclusion.
• Čeferin argued exclusions do not end wars and cited the 1992 Yugoslavia ban as a case with lasting political resentment, referencing comments from Dejan Savićević.
• He defended the Super Cup “Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians.” banner as a humanitarian message and said two children from Gaza were invited to the medal ceremony with his full support.
• UEFA faced accusations of double standards given its rules on political messaging and recent disciplinary action against Maccabi Haifa over an anti-Polish banner.
• Villarreal confirmed a loan deal for Israeli winger Manor Solomon from Tottenham, prompting online calls from some fans to shun the player, while Israel’s national team proceeds with World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Italy in Debrecen.