Anti-war protests reached the stands Monday night during Israel’s World Cup 2026 qualifier against Italy in Debrecen.
During the playing of Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva, dozens of Italian fans turned their backs to the field. Afterward, they raised signs designed like stop signs with the word “STOP” written on them, in protest of the war in Gaza.
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Italian soccer fans protest the war in Gaza at the World Cup qualifiers
(Photo: Attila Kisbenedek / AFP)
It was not the first time Italian supporters expressed opposition to Israel during a match. About a year ago, in a Nations League game between the two countries in Budapest, several dozen Italy fans also turned their backs during the anthem. When the Israeli stadium announcer tried to rally the crowd with chants of “El-El Israel,” the Italian fans booed and made obscene gestures. UEFA officials contacted representatives of the Italian team during that game and asked them to calm their supporters.
Earlier this summer, Italy’s coaches’ association (AIAC) sent an official letter to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), demanding Israel be “temporarily suspended” from international competition over what it described as “the genocide taking place in Gaza for nearly two years.”
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Turning their backs on the pitch during Israel's national anthem
(Photo: Bernadett Szabo/Reuters)
In a statement published on the AIAC’s official website, which is part of growing international pressure to exclude Israel from sporting events, the group wrote the suspension would be “not only a symbolic step, but a necessary choice, a moral duty — a step on which the entire leadership agrees.”