On, Wednesday, November 28, the day of the draw in Tel Aviv for the 2013 UEFA Under-21 finals, a protest was held at the national headquarters of the Italian Football Federation (IFF) to demand that the championship be moved from Israel.

The protest was organized by the Italian "Red Card Israeli Apartheid" campaign and a delegation was received by IFF General Manager Antonello Valentini, along with the members of their Press Office.

During the meeting, the delegation called upon the IFF to put pressure on UEFA so that Israel is not granted the privilege of hosting the championship, stressing that the privilege would be in strong contrast to sport values given Israel’s decades-long militarily occupation of the Palestinian territories, making Israel a rogue state flouting international law.

The IFF was reminded that the recent Israeli bombing of Gaza caused 174 deaths, nearly all civilians, including many women and children and also destroyed a football stadium and the offices of the Palestinian Paralympic Committee.

The delegation thanked the IFF for the concern shown last June during the 92-day hunger strike of Mahmoud Sarsak, footballer of the Palestinian National team detained without charge for three years in an Israeli prison, recalling that Sarsak as well as Palestinian sports organizations have called on UEFA to move the Under-21 Championship from Israel.

Valentini stressed the commitment IFF has demonstrated to Palestine over the years, in particular the cooperation agreement signed with the Palestinian Football Association in 2011. All the more reason, the delegation reiterated, for the IFF, in its role within UEFA, to be consistent with this commitment and push to have the undeserved honor removed from Israel. Valentini assured the delegation that their concerns and requests would be delivered to UEFA, also on the occasion of the draw that evening in Tel Aviv.

Valentini was given a drawing by cartoonist Carlos Latuff and it was stressed that the campaign will continue until UEFA is convinced to move the championship.

The protest in Rome was part of a European day of action. In London, thousands of signatures collected throughout Europe were delivered together with statements by politicians and public figures including director Ken Loach and actress Kika Markham. In France, signatures of well-known sports personalities are being collected.

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