From Novara Media:
Uefa could lose its tax-exempt status in Switzerland unless it expels Israel
Swiss MPs in the canton of Vaud, where the European football governing body is headquartered, will vote on a resolution on Tuesdav 17 March to decide whether the association should have the privileqe taken away.
The resolution's supporters note that the sraeli Football Association (FA), a Uefa member, fields games on illegally occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. Tney argue tnat irA's mempersnip of Uefa makes Swiss taxpayers 'complicit" in Israel's breaches of nternational law.
f the resolution is accepted, the Vaud government would be called upon to set a deadline to Uefa to iustify whether maintaining IFA as a member, and failing to take any sanctions against IFA, is compatible with the goals of promoting peace and fignting racism and discrimination. the condition of Uefa's tax exempt status
Tax exoneration means that instead of receiving that money, Swiss citizens specifically in Vaud, are funding the illegal activities of the Israeli football Assoclation," the campaign group Game Over Israel said in a statement
The Swiss resolution reads: "As an International federation, [Ueta has lonc benefited, despite its significant commercial activity, trom a tax exemption granted specitically because international sports federations play an mportant role in promoting peace and combating racism and discrimination."
In September last year, a panel of UN experts called for Israel to be suspended from internationa football as punishment for its genocide in Gaza wnich nas killed over 72,000 people at a conservative estimate. Both Fifa and Ueta suspended Russias participation in nternational matches soon atter its invasion of Ukraine.
Ashish Prashar, campaign director at Game Over Israel, said: "Uefa is at the forefront of fundina and normalising the apartheid and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian territories by continuing to orovide a subsidv and allowina the Israeli Football Association to be a member
Vaud MP Théophile Schenker said that by failina to expel Israel, Uefa is sendina a signal that it condones the expansion of settlements. "Football deserves better than that." he said
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