Gary Lineker finds himself in yet another scandal over his impartiality. Photo: Neil Hall/Shutterstock
KILL ISRAEL FROM INTERNATIONAL SPORTING ORGANIZATIONS screamed the headline that plunged Gary Lineker into yet another scandal over a now-deleted social media post.
Even though it confused the BBC's star football presenter, who reposted it to his nearly nine million followers on X after apparently misreading it, Palestine Campaign for Academics & The cultural boycott of Israel's call for action on the “genocide” in the Gaza Strip could not be more pronounced.
While PACBI's agenda was clear, the same cannot be said for the growing number of sports organizations that have made decisions since the start of the year that would undoubtedly have met with the approval of a hitherto marginalized group.
At this point, Perhaps There is no immediate threat of Israel being excluded from the Olympics or the World Cup because of its response to the October 7 terrorist attacks, as athletes and teams linked to the state began to be excluded from competitions and positions under increasingly dubious pretexts.
Discriminatory treatment for unexplained safety reasons
It all started a week ago when the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended the country's participation in its events due to “concerns for the safety of all participants.”
This decision caused serious concern, including at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Olympic Committee and America's National Hockey League, even after the IIHF clarified that initially next week it would only apply to the men's under-20 tournament, which was moved from Israel to Bulgaria due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Yael Arad, president of the Israeli Olympic Committee (OCI), told Telegraph Sport that the IIHF had refused to provide her with any evidence that the country's participation in the tournament this month would pose a security risk. Israel's ambassador to Bulgaria, Yossi Levi Sfari, also wrote on X last week that the IIHF's decision was “completely contrary” to the host nation's position on risks to athlete safety.
Both Arad and Sfari called the IIHF ruling discriminatory, with the former saying she suspected Russia – sidelined under similar “security” excuses after invading Ukraine – had exerted political pressure to take the same measures as Israel.< /p
Facing legal action from the Israeli federation and the OCI through the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the IIHF made an 11th-hour U-turn on Wednesday, announcing it had received assurances from Bulgarian authorities regarding security measures for next week's tournament.
However. However, the company warned that decisions about future events will be made on a case-by-case basis.
The company declined to comment on Arad's statements.
The player was stripped of the captain's armband, which has been compared to “Nazi Germany.” ' 
David Teager's removal as South Africa U19 captain sparked demonstrations. Photo: Alet Pretorius/Reuters
Initial IIHF decision Just 48 hours later, Israel's suspension was followed by a remarkably similar decision in South Africa, sparking an even more toxic row.
Until last Friday, David Teager was due to captain his team at the Cricket World Cup under-19, which, like the under-20 ice hockey tournament, was quickly moved from its original host country (Sri Lanka).
Cricket South Africa (CSA) then released a statement announcing that Tiger had been stripped of the armband, citing vague advice about the threat of protests that were likely to focus on his role.
This followed comments made by Tiger just two weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks at a Jewish awards ceremony, where he dedicated the rising star's gong to “the young soldiers in Israel.” The dedication prompted a complaint by the local Palestine Solidarity Alliance to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee.
An investigation cleared Tiger of wrongdoing, and his subsequent demotion was widely condemned because the CSA refused to provide evidence of a credible threat security and could not explain why, if security was such an issue, he was not expelled from the squad altogether.
Tiger is no longer captain, but remains on the team. Photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images
The decision by South Africa's Jewish leaders to compare the actions of Nazi Germany was announced a day after the country filed a “genocide” case against Israel at the International Court.
< p>It fueled allegations of political interference by the ruling African National Congress party, and the opposition Democratic Alliance said it would lodge a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission if the CSA does not reinstate Tiger before the start of the World Cup on Friday.
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies also organized a “Rise Against Antisemitism at Cricket SA” protest outside the governing body's headquarters on Thursday.
CSA chairman Lawson Naidoo had previously rejected the decision. accusations of anti-Semitism.
He did not respond to requests for further comment.
The International Cricket Council has rejected calls for it to intervene and the players' global union, the Federation of International Cricketers' Association (Fica), has not responded. to requests for comment.
The intervention of the South African government, itself a sporting pariah during the apartheid years, in the war in the Gaza Strip stands in stark contrast to its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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She abstained from more than one UN vote proposed by opponents of the occupation, and last year said she was “actively non-aligned” in the ongoing conflict after accusations of supplying arms to Moscow.
Encouraging a “culture of collaboration.” murder and hatred' 
Israeli football player Sagiv Yehezkel was charged by Turkish authorities Photo: Adem Akalan/AP
If the motive for Tiger's demotion is debatable, it could hardly be clearer in the case of Sagiv Yehezkel, the Israeli footballer charged by Turkish authorities and sacked by Antalyaspor for celebrating a goal on Sunday by displaying a message marking 100 days since the goal October 7th.
Yechezkel celebrated the score in the Super League match against Trabzonspor (1:1), pointing to the band on his wrist, on which the inscription “100 days 7.10” was written next to the Star of David.
>< p>His arrest and prosecution for hate speech sparked a bitter war of words between Israel and Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and Hamas.
Erdogan's top adviser called Yehezkel: 'Israel's nasty dog in football player's clothes'
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on the international community and sports groups to take action against Turkey, which he accused of promoting a “culture of murder and hatred” . , and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called the country “an executive arm of Hamas.”
Ezekel, who has now returned to his homeland, claims that he was only calling for an end to the war.
Ezekel returned to Israel. Photo: Alexander Meneghini/Reuters
The Turkish Football Federation supported Antalyaspor's decision to sack him.
Global players' union FifPro declined to comment, but Telegraph Sport spoke out and said Cehezkel was likely to win his case unfair dismissal if he submits it to FIFA.
The uncomfortable position of the Celtic ultras 
Celtic's Green Brigade showed their support for Palestine. Photo: Ian McNicol/Getty Images
Given a huge profile of footballers, players who support one side or another in the Gaza war have proven to be lightning rods for the conflict more than any other athletes.
None more so than Celtic's Liel Abada, who despite living in a country whose government is among Israel's biggest allies, plays for a club whose fan base is notorious for being Palestinian.
The Green Brigade was widely condemned. for banners raised before the Scottish champions' victory over Kilmarnock on October 7, which read: “Free Palestine. A victory for the resistance.” UEFA has repeatedly punished Celtic for a group displaying Palestinian flags and at the end of October banned ultras from matches, stressing the move was due to wider unacceptable behaviour.
p>The ban was lifted last month. after the group agreed to abide by the new code of conduct.
Abada was absent throughout the saga due to injury and returned for Celtic's derby win over Rangers days after the deal was struck.< /p > 
Celtic's Israeli player Liel Abada found himself in the middle. Photo: Steve Welsh/PA
Fears that he would be targeted by home fans proved unfounded, but the Green Brigade's pro-Palestinian stance saw him come under fire, apparently from his own people, amid pressure on him to leave the club.< /p>An 'explosion of anti-Semitism' that is causing 'deep scars in Munich'
What Jewish leaders have called an “explosion of anti-Semitism” in sport now threatens to coalesce around the biggest event of all: this summer's Olympic Games.
And, as Israel knows all too well, this may mean more than just growing calls from the likes of PACBI to kick it out of Paris in 2024.
Munich massacre of Israeli team members in 1972 terrorist group Black September. forever changed the way the country's Olympic Committee organizes its participation in the Games.
The risk of another tragedy has perhaps never been greater.
“This is the most high-profile event in the history of the world, and of course we need to worry about being prepared,” Arad said. “This deep scar of Munich is always above us.”
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