Iran’s football federation has urged FIFA to impose a complete ban on Israel’s football federation over its role in the ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed thousands of civilians. Iran has also asked FIFA and its member associations to take immediate and serious actions to stop the Israeli aggression and provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

The Iranian football federation made the request in a statement posted on its website on Saturday, following the example of other Middle Eastern football associations, such as Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, who have also demanded a ban on Israel due to the Gaza crisis.

The statement said that Iran, as a member of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), considers it its duty to defend the rights of the oppressed people of Palestine and to condemn the Israeli atrocities.

The statement also said that Iran does not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli regime and does not allow any contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes, as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Iran has a history of boycotting Israeli athletes in international competitions, and has even banned some of its own athletes for violating this policy. In 2023, Iran’s weightlifting federation gave a lifetime ban to Mostafa Rajaei, who shook hands with an Israeli competitor at an event in Poland. In 2021, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advised athletes not to shake hands with representatives of Israel.

The war in Gaza erupted on October 7, when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing hundreds of people and kidnapping dozens more. Israel retaliated with a massive air and ground campaign that has resulted in the deaths of at least 27,947 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The IDF says it has killed over 10,000 Hamas operatives in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

Iran has expressed its support for Hamas and its attack on Israel, but has denied any direct involvement in the conflict. Iran has also accused Israel of committing war crimes and violating international law and human rights.