JOHANNESBURG – GLOBAL citizens and human rights activists are calling on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to impose sanctions on the United States, including a suspension from international football, following its military aggression against Venezuela and the abduction of its president, Nicolás Maduro.
The calls mirror the decisive action FIFA took in 2022, when Russia was banned from all international football competitions after its invasion of Ukraine.
At the time, FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) cited the need to protect the integrity of competitions and ensure that international football remained orderly, neutral, and safe.
Russian national teams and clubs were suspended indefinitely, and the country was excluded from World Cup qualifiers and other global tournaments.
Activists now argue that similar standards should apply universally, including the US.
“If FIFA rules apply fairly and without polarization, then we urgently call upon FIFA president Giovanni Infantino to immediately effect the ban on the United States,” said Anelka Williams, a Canadian human rights activist.
“We, citizens of this global village, want FIFA to be impartial, fair and transparent in dealing with matters that violate global football by banning the United States following its invasion and kidnapping of President Maduro.”
Campaigners are also demanding that FIFA withdraw all scheduled World Cup matches set to be hosted in the United States and reallocate them to co-host nations Canada and Mexico.
Another activist, Morgan Mafirakureva, drew parallels with Russia’s suspension. “So… Russia invaded a sovereign state, Ukraine, and was banned from the Olympic Games, as well as suspended by FIFA and UEFA, for violating the Olympic Charter and for being incompatible with FIFA and UEFA statutes,” Mafirakureva said.
“Yet the irony is that the United States, which has bombed eight countries in the last thirteen months, has so far faced no comparable sanctions in the Olympic or football context. Double standards?”
Human rights organizations, anti-war coalitions, and civil society groups in Latin America, Africa, and Europe have long condemned what they describe as repeated violations of national sovereignty through sanctions, covert operations, and military interventions.
The United Nations has consistently emphasized the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.
UN officials have repeatedly warned that unilateral actions, including military pressure and economic sanctions, risk destabilizing nations and worsening humanitarian conditions.
Several independent UN experts have previously criticized sanctions imposed on Venezuela, arguing they have contributed to economic hardship and infringed upon the rights of civilians.
International legal scholars and sports governance analysts caution that FIFA faces growing pressure to demonstrate consistency in how geopolitical conflicts are handled within sport.
Critics argue that selective enforcement risks undermining FIFA’s credibility and the principle that football should not be politicized through unequal application of rules.
As calls mount, FIFA has yet to comment on the demands.
However, the debate underscores a broader global conversation about fairness, accountability, and whether international sport truly applies its rules equally—regardless of a nation’s power or influence.
– CAJ News
