For Israel’s World Cup Team, Hostile Crowds and Protests Loom Over Qualifying Matches in Europe

The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, is urging calm ahead of Israel’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Norway and Italy, where political protests threaten to overshadow the matches despite a cease-fire brokered by President Trump in the war in Gaza.Inside the Israeli camp, the head coach, Ran Ben Shimon, is rejecting any notion of intimidation. “I am hearing about fear of the game against Norway, but we’re not afraid,” Mr. Ben Shinmon told Israeli media.“Our goal is not just to get through the game safely. That’s not our objective. We want more than that. We want to win and continue to play well.”Israel resumes its quest to qualify for the World Cup when it visits Norway at Oslo on Saturday night before traveling to Italy for a match on Tuesday, when an estimated 10,000 people are planning to stage a pro-Palestine protest at Udine. A crowd of that size could potentially disrupt the competition.Mr. Infantino is urging protesters to “keep calm” in light of the developing peace deal between Israel and Hamas. “Now everyone should be happy,” Mr. Infantino said, while acknowledging that the tournament cannot entirely divorce itself from world events. “Of course this goes beyond football,” he said, “but includes football as well.”Sports are meant to be a reprieve from life’s troubles, but the World Cup is buffeted by the world’s various conflicts. Protests, political tensions, military conflicts, and the uncertain peace plan for Gaza will keep FIFA at the uneasy intersection of sports and politics longer than organizers would like.Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters stood outside Italy’s soccer training center earlier this month demanding that Tuesday’s qualifier not be played. The protest was part of a 24-hour general strike in Italy to protest the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza.Mr. Infantino hopes the peace talks orchestrated by Mr. Trump will lower the heat on Israel’s soccer team. Its quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been clouded by security concerns, which displaced the team from its training facilities and home games, and continued calls for Israel to be banned from the competition. Norway is among the countries calling for sanctions against Israel following a United Nations inquiry that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The peace talks have reportedly prompted the governing body of European football, UEFA, to put off a vote that could have suspended Israel from European competition.Israel is in third place in Group 1, behind Norway and Italy. The winner in each of the 12 group stages qualifies for the World Cup, while runners-up compete in a playoff to determine the final four qualifiers from Europe.Mr. Ben Shimon said Israel’s battle for a spot in the World Cup is important to the nation and its players, who have been training abroad since the October 7 massacre two years ago.“We believe in a professional approach to this match,” he said. “Our ability to lift the mood in the team and the nation comes from focusing on improving the team and staying focused without distractions.”He added, “The players deserve 100 percent of our energy and others can deal with everything else. We’re fully focused on the professional side.”Keeping the World Cup professional and not political is proving to be challenging, not only for Israel but also for America, which will host the competition along with Canada and Mexico.Mr. Trump has displayed his support by establishing a task force to oversee preparations and safety, and adding staffing at American embassies and consulates around the world to handle an expected rush of visa applications.But the president has also suggested he might seek to block some American cities from hosting scheduled matches on the grounds they are “not safe” — something FIFA says he has no power to do. The Trump administration is also enforcing its aggressive immigration policies at stadiums around the country, putting many international soccer fans on edge.A friendly match between Argentina and Puerto Rico scheduled for Monday at Chicago has been relocated to Florida due to an immigration crackdown in the Windy City. Promoters cited immigration concerns for moving the match to Chase Stadium at Fort Lauderdale, where Argentine star Lionel Messi plays his home games for Inter Miami, from Soldier Field.More than 1,000 immigrants have been arrested in the Chicago area in the last month, according to the Associated Press, and the Trump administration has deployed some 500 National Guard troops to the Chicago area to protect federal personnel and property.

For Israel’s World Cup Team, Hostile Crowds and Protests Loom Over Qualifying Matches in Europe

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