A pro-Palestine group has gatecrashed UEFA’s official launch event for the 2028 European Championship in London.
European football’s governing body held a launch party at the Under The Lights venue in Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday night, attended by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and other high-profile figures from across the sport.
A noisy group with ‘Free Palestine’ flags protested outside the venue, holding banners which also read ‘You are complicit’, ‘Show Israel the red card’ and ‘Offside for genocide’, among others.
They shouted ‘blood on your hands’ and ‘shame on you’, and chanted ‘Kick Israel out’ amid calls to ban the country from sports events following the Gaza conflict.
A footballer known as the ‘Palestinian Pele’, called Suleiman al-Obeid, was killed in August in an Israeli attack on southern Gaza, according to the Palestine Football Association.
Police monitoring the protest estimated there were around 60 protestors in attendance as Tyrone Mings, whose Aston Villa team faced Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv last week in the Europa League, arrived to attend the UEFA event at around 7.15pm.
A pro-Palestine group has gatecrashed UEFA’s official launch event for Euro 2028 in London
A noisy group with ‘Free Palestine’ flags protested outside at the venue in Piccadilly Circus
They held banners which read ‘You are complicit’ and ‘Offside for genocide’, among others
During the event, it was announced that Cardiff’s Principality Stadium will officially open Euro 2028, which is being staged in England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
Meanwhile, London’s Wembley Stadium will play host to the semi-finals and a final, which has been handed a new 5pm kick-off time by UEFA.
That tournament – which will involve 24 teams competing in 51 games – will begin on Friday June 9, 2028 and end exactly a month later on Sunday July 9.
UEFA also announced that the host nations will play their group games in front of their own fans if they qualify directly.
President Ceferin said during the event: ‘Football is the universal language. It expresses passion, skill, courage, solidarity and respect better than any other, and it constantly reminds us that our differences are exactly what make our sport so beautiful. At Euro 2028, we will all speak football – loud, clear and united.
‘The host nations, where the game first took shape, are eager to welcome millions of fans into legendary stadiums, providing the right stage for a festival of emotions, vividly encapsulated in the design we presented today.
‘The fans will be the beating heart of this tournament. In the way matches are staged – including a new, more convenient kick-off time for the final – and in the services across host cities and stadiums, we want to maximise the fan experience, in the venues and around the world, so more people than ever can fully enjoy what promises to be one of the year’s greatest events.’
