Anti-Israel activism within soccer often crosses into antisemitism, according to a new study by the University of Vilnius.
The peer-reviewed paper, titled "Beyond the Headlines: The Anti-Israeli Campaign in Football and Its Implications," examines anti-Israel messaging from soccer clubs as well as national federations, and the implications of when anti-Israel messaging becomes antisemitic.
After the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre and during the subsequent Israel-Hamas War, discourse around the conflict entered almost every aspect of society, including soccer. In the aftermath of the massacre, some clubs and athletes made statements in support of those affected, like Manchester United, which expressed solidarity with the family of Yonatan Rapoport, a supporter who was murdered by Hamas in the Be'eri massacre.
As the war continued and the death toll rose, fanbases, clubs, and national federations became more outspoken, and a Celtic-ultras-backed campaign called “Show Israel the Red Card” launched. The campaign calls for the exclusion of Israel from international soccer as a response to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Historical precedent for banning nations
Historical precedent for excluding nations from soccer exists. FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, excluded Germany and Japan in the 1950’s for their roles in World War II, and South Africa, which was banned from international soccer between 1970 and 1990 for its system of apartheid.
Recently, Russia’s national team and all Russian clubs were banned from international competitions following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the author of the paper, Kyril Kascian, the “potential success” of banning Israel would put it on equal standing to the previous examples.
Anti-Israel and pro-Hamas supporters
Supporters of Celtic F.C., a Scottish soccer team, are notorious for its pro-Palestinian imagery throughout the years. The Green Brigade, an ultra group that supports the Glasgow-based club, is known to have been waving Palestinian flags for years, dating back to at least 2012. According to the study, Celtic supporters have flown Palestinian flags for nearly three decades.
On October 7, 2023, as Celtic was set to play Kilmarnock at home, the Green Brigade took a pro-Hamas stance, displaying banners reading “Free Palestine” and “Victory to the Resistance.” On February 12, 2025, the Green Brigade started spreading the “red card” campaign, calling to exclude Israel from soccer competitions. Kascian argues that this campaign went beyond criticism of Israel and strayed into antisemitism.
According to Kascian, related leaflets spread by the Green Brigade accuse Israel of “genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.” The banner also showed the word “Israel” dripping in blood and in quotation marks. According to Kascian, “this perspective offers no consideration for the Israeli viewpoint, as it fails to consider all relevant factors and their chronological order.”
Another issue with the campaign is the display of signs and banners reading “Show Zionism the Red Card.” Although Kascian conceded that the word “Zionism” has different meanings, “it is essentially ‘a movement for (originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.’” Calling for the end of Zionism, in that case, becomes antisemitism, according to Kascian.
Kascian also accuses other supporters’ anti-Israel imagery, including violent imagery, of “blur[ring] the line between appeals and potential actions.” This imagery includes banners showing a figure “kicking an Israeli flag” and a banner reading “Destroy Israel” in Basque displayed by fans of Spanish side Osasuna.
Differences between clubs and nations
According to the study, “games between national teams substantially differ from club competitions” because national teams bring together people of different political opinions, and “policies adopted by a football association on specific political matters typically align with those of the country’s authorities.”
As an example, Kascian brings the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), an organization known for its anti-Israel views, whose chairwoman, Lise Klaveness described her personal beliefs as being that Israel should be banned, equating Israel’s war with Hamas to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On October 11, 2025, Norway was set to host Israel in a World Cup qualifier, leading the NFF to announce the donation of all proceeds from the game to humanitarian groups in Gaza. According to Klaveness, the NFF “cannot have an indifferent attitude toward the humanitarian suffering and the disproportionate attacks the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time.”
According to Kascian, “[i]t is evident that the NFF transformed a well-organized game into a public message of solidarity with the Palestinian cause,” and he additionally argues that “such public performances and messages from football officials could provoke anti-Israeli and antisemitic sentiments.” With this in mind, he further warns the NFF and other organizations that “even good intentions of this kind can lead to unforeseen negative consequences.”
According to Kascian’s analysis, both flagrant antisemitism shown by supporters, as well as one-sided pro-Palestinian activism from national federations create an environment that leads to toxicity on and off the field. This, he warns, undermines the sport’s very purpose: to unite people rather than divide them.