FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his UEFA counterpart Aleksander Ceferin have been accused of “aiding war crimes” and “crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territory” in a complaint filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC). AdvertisementAs outlined in a joint statement released to The Athletic, the submitting parties also included a group of Palestinian footballers, Palestinian clubs, landowners, and a human rights organisation in Palestine. The allegations focus on FIFA and UEFA’s “inclusion of Israeli football clubs based in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory that were built on land stolen from Palestinian people”. “FIFA and UEFA permit these clubs to play in leagues organised by the Israel Football Association and host matches on the seized land,” the statement added. Individuals who are deemed responsible for their organisation’s actions and policies can appear before the ICC as defendants, though the organisations themselves, like FIFA and UEFA, cannot.

Source: International New York Times February 20, 2026 01:09 UTC