I fully support the petition to UEFA to reverse the decision to hold the under 21 championships in Israel. It is unacceptable that an important sporting event be held in and by a country which displays colonial and repressive behavior towards the Palestinian people. In particular, I refer to the very unacceptable actions towards Palestinian sportsmen who have been impeded in their activity or even jailed for prolonged periods of incarceration without charge or trial. Or to the many circumstances in which players and the public are denied entry or movement within the occupied territories or in and out of Palestine for competitions.

Sports must operate in equality, fairness and according to a common democratic sense. It cannot be used to validate as protagonists those who violate the elementary rules of civil living.

UEFA must not turn its head away. What message are you sending to the younger generation?

Vincenzo Vita
Former Vice-President of Education, Scientific Research, Cultural Heritage and Sports Commission in the Italian Senate