This Saturday 1 August, 12pm, Manchester Market St: Stall and rally to boycott Reebok until they end their sponsorship of Israel’s Football Association.
Despite more people in the football world standing against Israel’s slaughter in Gaza that has killed 567 Palestinian footballers and over 21,000 children, in the midst of Israel’s genocide Reebok began sponsoring the Israeli Football Association (IFA).
Not only does the IFA incorporate 6 teams on illegal Israeli West Bank settlements on stolen Palestinian land, but Israel’s annihilation of the Palestinians included the destruction of 90% of Gaza’s sports infrastructure. This included 288 sports facilities, all the football stadiums, and the PFA headquarters itself.
UEFA have historically suspended states from football for violations of international law – Apartheid South Africa, post-war Germany, Yugoslavia, and recently, Russia.
Manchester United football legend Eric Cantona is calling for a sporting boycott of Israel and said: “4 days after Russia started a war, they were suspended. We are now over 700 days into what Amnesty International has called a genocide, and yet Israel continues to play.”
As Manchester City’s most successful ever manager Pep Guardiola said:
“The world has left Palestine alone. We’ve done absolutely nothing… We’ve all allowed them [Israel] to destroy an entire people. The damage is already done and it’s irreparable…I can’t imagine a person in this world who could defend the massacres in Gaza. Our children could be there and murdered just for being born there.”
He also supported Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal raising the Palestinian flag on Barcelona’s bus parade, whose act of solidarity may have reached billions.
In the wake of the World Cup, we must stand with all the Palestinian children who love football as much as any other child growing up with sporting dreams and aspirations, even more so when Israel’s bombing of Gaza has created the highest number of child amputees anywhere in the world.
After a 5-year campaign Puma cut their sponsorship of the IFA – join us Saturday on Market Street to call for a global boycott of Reebok.
