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The Day · Friday 12 December 2025

Filed 11:32 · Palestine time (UTC+2) · World

09:53–13:13Midday

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Swiss Politicians Seek to Revoke UEFA’s Tax-Exempt Status Over Role in Israeli Apartheid

Swiss politicians are calling for the removal of UEFA’s tax-exempt status, citing the organization’s alleged complicity with Israeli apartheid. The move signals growing resistance within Switzerland against what they consider institutional support for apartheid policies. The push reflects mounting pressure on international bodies perceived to enable or endorse occupation-linked activities.

UDINE, ITALY – AUGUST 13: A banner which reads ‘Stop killing children – Stop killing civilians’ is displayed as players of both side’s line up prior to during the UEFA Super Cup 2025 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur at Stadio Friuli on August 13, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Chris Ricco – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Swiss politicians have initiated a campaign aiming to revoke the tax-exempt status currently held by UEFA, citing the football organization’s alleged complicity with Israeli apartheid. The move marks a direct confrontation with one of Europe’s highest football bodies, raising strong opposition to what these lawmakers see as institutional endorsement of apartheid policies.

The call to strip UEFA of its fiscal privileges was launched amid intensifying scrutiny over the organization’s political positioning and its affiliations. Swiss lawmakers are targeting the economic and symbolic benefits granted to UEFA within Switzerland, which has long been home to international institutions and sporting authorities.

According to the political voices behind the initiative, UEFA’s arrangement under Swiss law must reflect accountability, particularly in cases where associations are believed to have aligned themselves with ongoing systems of oppression. The focus of the critique centers on UEFA’s alleged cooperation with Israeli apartheid, a characterization that is being used by Swiss lawmakers as justification for their action.

Meanwhile, discussions are developing within political and civil society circles about how international sports organizations function in conflict-related environments. The challenge made by these Swiss politicians signals a shift towards greater political engagement from within Western institutions concerning international justice and solidarity with oppressed peoples.

From its side, UEFA has not publicly responded to the push. The football body, headquartered in Switzerland, benefits from policies that exempt it from certain national taxes, making any reconsideration of its fiscal status a powerful political statement. The demand to abolish this status comes as part of broader appeals to hold powerful organizations accountable for perceived complicity with occupied or apartheid regimes.

In addition, the move reflects an emerging strategy among resistance-minded political actors in Europe: to contest occupation and apartheid at the structural level by challenging the legitimacy of institutions seen as enabling such systems. The action taken by the Swiss politicians adds to a chorus of international dissent focused on actors entwined with the Israeli regime’s policies.

The debate in Swiss political spheres continues to develop. What remains clear is that the demand for UEFA to lose its special financial status is not simply a local matter, but a direct response to a global call for justice and resistance. The campaign stands as a new chapter in the struggle to isolate apartheid practices through institutional and legal measures.

In Switzerland and beyond, the political message is unmistakable: institutions that endorse or facilitate apartheid, directly or indirectly, must be challenged. The Swiss lawmakers behind this move believe it is their obligation to oppose systems of injustice wherever they operate, and to use their legislative power to do so. As the campaign moves forward, all eyes now turn to UEFA’s position and whether Swiss authorities will heed the demand to eliminate the organization’s privileged tax status.

12 Dec, 11:32

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