Can FIFA and UEFA Be Held Accountable at the ICC?

In a moment that could reshape how global sports organisations are held accountable under international law, the presidents of football’s two most powerful institutions — FIFA and UEFA — have been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This unprecedented move accuses them of ignoring violations linked to Israel’s conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories and of enabling those violations through the normalisation of football relations.

On 16 February 2026, advocacy groups representing Palestinian footballers, clubs and activists filed a 120-page communication with the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor. The complaint alleges that Gianni Infantino of FIFA and Aleksander Čeferin of UEFA have “aided and abetted war crimes and crimes against humanity” by allowing the inclusion and competition of Israeli football clubs that are based in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

The complaint frames the conduct of FIFA and UEFA not as political neutrality, but as legal complicity:

• Contributing to apartheid: Because Palestinians are excluded from many of these clubs and denied the right to participate as players, managers or spectators, the complaint asserts that FIFA and UEFA’s stance falls under the definition of “aiding and abetting apartheid” — a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.

• Aiding unlawful settlement expansion: By recognising and enabling clubs based on land that has been ruled unlawful by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and condemned in UN resolutions, the governing bodies are accused of normalising colonisation.

If the ICC prosecutor determines the complaint meets criteria for jurisdiction and interests of justice, the court could open a full investigation. That would potentially mark the first time leaders of international sports bodies face scrutiny at The Hague for alleged complicity in international crimes.

Source: BDS Coalition | AlJazeera