The Spanish newspaper Marca reported on Wednesday that Patxi Lopez, spokesman for the Socialist Group in the country's Congress, left the door open to the possibility of withdrawing from the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The newspaper noted that López made these remarks during a media appearance following the plenary session of Congress, saying, "I will speak about the protests against the genocide in connection with the La Vuelta cycling race and the consequences that resulted from it."
He continued: "Israel is now invading the Gaza Strip by land, and this requires a response. The vast majority of Spanish society cannot tolerate the images we see daily in every news broadcast of every media outlet, amid our complicit silence."
He added: "Seeing children killed, people shot while searching for food because they are starving to death, cities destroyed because one of the richest people in the world wants to build a resort there for his Sunday cocktails, or seeing an entire people wiped out, that's genocide."
"The vast majority of society is taking to the streets to express their opinion and protest the genocide," he continued, referring to the protests during the La Vuelta cycling race.
He continued, "They do this especially when an Israeli team, funded by someone who directly supports (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his massacre, roams our streets. This is what is called the dignity of a people who do not want to be complicit."
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"Israeli society needs to react and see what we in the rest of the world think about what their government is doing," Lopez explained. "What we want is that if Israeli teams cannot participate in sporting events or if they cannot participate in World Cup qualifiers, some people will start to open their eyes." He called for Israel to be excluded from all competitions, as happened previously with Russia.
Lopez emphasized that the relevant sports bodies should exercise their veto power against Israel; if that is not possible, they will demand Spain's withdrawal, something that could even occur at the 2026 Men's World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. He concluded by saying, "This is what we are doing now. We will assess the situation in due course, if no action is taken against the Israeli national team."
The world's biggest football tournament will be held again next summer in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, marking the first time three different countries have hosted the tournament.
European champions Spain are the favorites to win, according to bettors' predictions, and are well on their way to securing their place in the tournament after winning two of their opening two matches in qualifying.
Israel currently sits third in its qualifying group, but has a real chance of at least securing a play-off spot, as it currently trails group leaders Norway by six points.
Only the group winner qualifies automatically for the World Cup, with the runner-up potentially securing a play-off spot depending on results in the other groups.
