Italy's Gattuso Voices Distress Over Gaza Situation Before World Cup Qualifier Against Israel
On Tuesday, Gennaro Gattuso shared his sorrow regarding the ongoing two-year conflict in Gaza as Italy prepares for two 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, including a fixture against Israel.
The Italian national team are set to play Estonia in Tallinn this Saturday, yet attention is focused on the upcoming encounter with Israel in Udine next Tuesday, following widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations across Italy last week.
During Friday’s nationwide strike in solidarity with Palestinians, demonstrators visited Italy’s national training base in Florence, urging the cancellation of the game. Further demonstrations are anticipated in Udine before next week’s fixture.
We must participate in the match otherwise a 3-0 forfeit looms Gattuso stated Once more I stress how deeply troubling it is to witness the plight of innocent civilians especially children Seeing such suffering truly pains me
Italy witnessed some of Europe’s largest demonstrations last weekend opposing Israel’s prolonged military actions in Gaza which began after Hamas militants breached the border to attack Israeli communities two years ago.
However given the extensive casualties and devastation in Gaza there is growing pressure to exclude Israel from international sporting events.
Ticket sales for Tuesday’s game have been slow with the Bluenergy Stadium expecting significant empty sections The venue will be under heightened security measures.
The atmosphere will be challenging with approximately 10,000 people gathering outside the stadium and 5,000-6,000 spectators inside Gattuso added.
Our goal is World Cup qualification and I would have preferred a home match with a passionate crowd similar to our 5-0 victory over Estonia in Bergamo last month.
Italy which missed the last two World Cup tournaments currently holds second place in Group I tied on nine points with Israel and six points behind leaders Norway though they have an extra match to play.
Only the group leader secures direct qualification for next summer’s tournament in the United States Mexico and Canada the runner-up will enter a play-off.
In September Italy secured a hard-fought 5-4 win against Israel in a tense encounter held in Hungary where Israel has hosted their home games since the outbreak of the Gaza offensive following the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks.
During the September 8 match in Debrecen Hungary a small number of Italian supporters turned away from the field during Israel’s national anthem while boos echoed around the stadium and banners reading stop were displayed.