Israeli authorities are threatening to demolish the only pitch in the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. Some keepie-uppie FIFA context to that. All kids everywhere deserve football pitches.

Re-upping @fairsq.bsky.social summary of the violence in Amsterdam in November 2024. We did not use AI. We went through the available evidence, which included Maccabi fans' racism ,violence and provocations, and asked that UEFA investigate (they didn't) fairsq.org/uefa-amsterd...

Senior British politician has raised the spectre of UK sanctions against Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour Al Nahyan. "Sheikh Mansour is possibly the most high profile UAE investor in the country. What are we going to do about that?"

A year after FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup, serious risks remain unaddressed and grave abuses persist. ALQST and partner groups call on FIFA to take urgent action and make hosting rights conditional on meaningful human rights reforms. www.alqst.org/en/post/glob...

🧵 On today’s @footballweekly.bsky.social , @philippeauclair.bsky.social took time to discuss FairSquare’s complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee regarding the conduct of Gianni Infantino. (Part 1)

FIFA's World Cup ticket prices are a betrayal to the most dedicated fans. At least $6900 to support your team from the first match to the final - nearly 5 times more than in Qatar. FSE calls for the immediate halt to ticket sales. 🔗 Statement: bit.ly/44Sqx9G

As reported in multiple outlets @fairsq.bsky.social has submitted a complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino with the FIFA Ethics Committee alleging repeated breaches of article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics which requires football officials remain politically neutral in dealing with govts.

„Die Menschenrechtsorganisation @fairsq.bsky.social wertet alle vier Aussagen als „klare Verstöße“. Miguel Maduro, früherer Vorsitzender des Governance-Komitees und des Prüfungsausschusses der FIFA, bewertete im Gespräch mit der F.A.S. … (Text 👇 www.faz.net/aktuell/spor...)

NEWS: Official complaint received by FIFA Ethics Committee, alleges “repeated breaches” of FIFA’s duty of political neutrality by Gianni Infantino, all in relation to President Trump. It also requests investigation into internal process behind Trump’s Peace Prize www.nytimes.com/athletic/687...

It's the "MAGA-FIFA World Cup", Infantino has said he supports Trump's agenda, and Trump may be awarded a new FIFA Peace Prize. Why all this fawning? Well one plausible explanation is that Trump knows the World Cup is a complete swindle. A mini 🧵 to explain.. apnews.com/article/dona...

James Lynch, founding co-director of @fairsq.bsky.social and human rights expert, will be speaking next Friday at our annual conference, where he'll cover the Saudi authorities' troubling trend of transnational repression. Register for in-person attendance: www.eventbrite.com/e/alqsts-202...

The world's wealthy liberal democracies looked the other way on FIFA's corruption for years because they didn't think corruption in sports was a big deal or worth addressing, and now find themselves looking at FIFA as a powerful, increasingly-integrated part of the far-right anti-democracy movement.

My latest @theguardian.com: As a genuine soccer fan & generational political talent, freshly elected NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani might be able to achieve the unthinkable: force the FIFA behemoth to share its lucre by targeting its tax exemptions & extreme privilege www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Research by Kick It Out Israel “found 367 instances of racist chanting at Israeli Premier League matches in the 2024-25 season, a record total & an increase of 67% on the previous campaign.” @fairsq.bsky.social concluded that this “provides clear grounds for Uefa to act and suspend the Israel FA.”

Research reveals racist chants on rise in Israeli football – with Maccabi Tel Aviv the worst offenders

Research reveals racist chants on rise in Israeli football – with Maccabi Tel Aviv the worst offenders. FairSquare said the Kick It Out Israel report “provides clear grounds for Uefa to act and suspend the IFA”. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

A thread on Barney Ronay's article criticising the decision Birmingham City Council and supported by West Midlands police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from traveling to Birmingham. It might be a depressing decision but it's not a terrible one. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Gulf repression came under the spotlight in the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, in expert discussions on the UAE’s rights crisis, and transnational repression across MENA. fairsq.org/gulf-repress...

fairsq.org/uefa-amsterd... In light of ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters attending Aston Villa match and Starmer's claim that this is anti-Semitic, see @fairsq.bsky.social letter to UEFA for a summary of key evidence

Imagine: the “Peace Cup,” a 96-team event held in the demilitarized zone between two historic enemies. North and South Korea? India and Pakistan? Israel and Palestine? For Infantino, anything is possible, so long as it is sponsored by Coca-Cola and Aramco www.sportspolitika.news/p/nfantino-p...

“Infantino has abandoned all pretense of the political neutrality that FIFA espouses & is statutorily committed to uphold, & has put FIFA firmly in the corner of Donald Trump & Benjamin Netanyahu,” said @ncgeehan.bsky.social, director of the human rights advocacy group @fairsq.bsky.social

Why Was the President of FIFA at the Gaza Summit? Featuring comment by FairSquare’s @ncgeehan.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/w...

FairSquare has called FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s presence and comments at the Sharm el-Sheikh ‘Peace Summit’ yesterday “highly significant and deeply troubling”. Read the full quote and FairSquare's other work on Israel and Palestine using the link in our bio.

Highlight of @playthegame-org.bsky.social 2025 in Tampere was undoubtedly meeting Qatar 2022 whistleblower Abdullah Ibhais and then seeing him collect the Play The Game award alongside the remarkable Maggie Nichols www.playthegame.org/news/whistle...

"The volte-face increasingly looks like the last act of a piece of political theatre that allowed UEFA’s senior leadership to signal its support for the people of Gaza, while avoiding taking any action to help them." Read the analysis from @ncgeehan.bsky.social below ⬇️ fairsq.org/uefa-virtue-...

For anyone interested in understanding why FIFA has adopted a dynamic pricing model for the 2026 World Cup and why there is violent unrest in Morocco because of the 2030 World Cup, chapter 3 of @fairsq.bsky.social 's 2024 report Substitute is worth a read 👉 fairsq.org/substitute-r...

FIFA, Formula 1, ICC Under Fire For Aramco Sponsorships www.forbes.com/sites/vitasc...

ALQST has joined @fairsq.bsky.social and a coalition of human rights and climate NGOs, supported by a number of professional athletes, in challenging FIFA and other sports organisations to justify their sponsorship deals with state-owned Aramco. fairsq.org/aramco-lette...

Criticism of FIFA’s Aramco sponsorship amplifies ahead of 2026 World Cup www.insideworldfootball.com/2025/10/02/c...

The world's biggest sports' bodies taking money from the world's biggest corporate polluter in the middle of an existential climate crisis is - at very best - wildly reckless. 🧵 👇

Six of the world’s biggest sports organisations, including FIFA, the International Cricket Council & Formula 1, are being challenged to justify their sponsorship deals with state-owned Saudi Aramco. These partnerships may place them in breach of international human rights standards.

Multiple well-sourced articles, including a piece today in The Guardian, suggest UEFA is on the verge of suspending the Israel Football Association. A 🧵 on some of the background to this www.theguardian.com/football/202...

My latest @theguardian.com: "Fifa banned Russia from international football. Now it must do the same for Israel." As Israel inflicts untold misery on Palestinians, it is time for soccer’s governing bodies to stand by the principles they claim to uphold www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Excellent as always from @julesboykoff.bsky.social, laying out the case for the expulsion of the Israel Football Association from FIFA and UEFA. A moral imperative, anchored in governance rules and principles www.theguardian.com/football/202...

A Israeli academic asked his followers on X which sanction would really convince ordinary Israelis that they are isolated internationally. "Expulsion from football tournaments" was the most popular answer, followed by "ending visa-free travel to Europe"

column on why is the far right is obsessed with dubai www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Brady: "Under Gianni’s leadership football has reached farther and welcomed more people in. He’s championed inclusion and access, making sure the beautiful game belongs to everyone". Infantino: "Can we clap hands once more?"

A wonderful day for a remarkable man and his amazing family fairsq.org/alaa-abd-el-...

UN experts call for suspension of Israel from international football amid unfolding genocide in occupied Palestine www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

FairSquare's @lynchj.bsky.social: “Alaa and his family have been through a terrible ordeal lasting more than a decade – it’s beyond time for that to come to an end... We hope to see him released and reunited with his son in Brighton without delay.” fairsq.org/alaa-abd-el-...

🎥 Gaza’s Vanishing Stadiums The football story that is being ignored. Hundred’s of footballers killed, stadiums destroyed, illegal matches in occupied territories and almost complete silence from FIFA. Please watch and share our latest film here 👇 youtu.be/cfjDXFif8Yw?...

Bohemians have co-signed a letter to UEFA calling for the suspension of the Israel FA amid "violence, death and man-made famine" in Gaza. The League of Ireland club, with FairSquare and Irish Sport for Palestine, has accused the IFA of breaching UEFA and FIFA statutes. www.thesun.ie/sport/158518...

The IDF shot and killed "The Pele of Palestine", Sulaiman al Obaid, while he waited on line for food. No comment from FIFA. So we've made calls to FIFA. Whatever good that will do, at minimum aren't going to afford them the privilege of looking away. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

“The leaked Microsoft files suggest that a large proportion of the unit’s sensitive data may now be sitting in the company’s datacentres in the Netherlands and Ireland.” A deadly serious allegation that requires urgent investigation. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

The UK must overhaul its response to transnational repression. In evidence submitted to parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, @fairsq.bsky.social, BIRD and ALQST urged the UK to act consistently, regardless of ties with perpetrating states like #SaudiArabia. alqst.org/en/post/uk-m...

Former Palestine national team player, Suleiman Al-Obaid killed in an Israeli strike while waiting for humanitarian aid. www.sportsjoe.ie/football/pal...

With unfair costs already being paid by migrant workers, we back the Employer Pays Principle as a means to reduce the risk of exploitation in the Seasonal Worker Scheme. Read our joint statement on the Employers Pay Principle Feasibility Study: labourexploitation.org/news/seasona...

What do the Saudi kingdom, FIFA, and a club tournament in the U.S. have to do with one another? Listen to @ncgeehan.bsky.social, co-director of @fairsq.bsky.social, connect the dots on the unlikely bedfellows and how the relationship is benefiting all three. bit.ly/4lAm1Da