Ever since its first and only World Cup appearance, in 1970, Israel’s national football team has dreamed of competing in another major international tournament. Currently ranked third in Group I of the qualifiers for the upcoming World Cup, coach Ran Ben Shimon’s squad still has hopes of entering in the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, from June 11 to July 19. To do so, the Israeli team will need a strong result in Norway, in a match they are set to play in Oslo on Saturday, October 11.
The match was scheduled long in advance, and it will take place in a country that has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause. The Norwegian Football Federation has already announced that all profits from ticket sales for the match will be donated to the NGO Doctors Without Borders, which operates in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military’s retaliation to the terrorist attacks commited on October 7 has left over 66,000 dead and 160,000 injured, according to figures that are considered reliable by international organizations.
Ever since the national team games in September, and in the run-up to this match, the Norwegian federation has spearheaded a movement protesting the inclusion of Israeli teams in international competitions. Several other voices have joined the movement in recent weeks, calling for sanctions against the Israel Football Association (IFA), its national team and its domestic clubs.
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