Social groups from the Community of Madrid have demanded this Monday the suspension of the basketball game that will be played next Thursday between Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Movistar Arena, within the framework of the Euroleague. This was shared in a statement by the Regional Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Madrid (FRAVM), one of the organizations that subscribe to the manifesto signed by 250 entities in which the use of sport is denounced “as a tool for normalization of a State investigated for genocide.” This match will finally be played behind closed doors for security reasons.
The call, the FRAVM has indicated, has “broad support from organized civil society in Madrid”, and from entities of solidarity with Palestine, neighborhood and municipal platforms, neighborhood organizations, environmentalists, unions, representatives of the Palestinian community in Madrid, pacifist groups, university students, feminists and parties of the Madrid political left.
The signatory organizations see in the celebration of this sporting event “the international normalization” of the State of Israel, “currently investigated by the International Court of Justice for the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people.” Therefore, in his opinion, the participation of teams representing Israel in international sports competitions represents the use of sport “as an instrument to whitewash a sustained policy of occupation, apartheid and extermination.”
In this sense, they recalled that the pressure exerted by social entities and the popular movement in Barcelona “has already had concrete consequences” in the match between FC Barcelona and Maccabi Tel Aviv scheduled for this Tuesday, which will be played behind closed doors. For Madrid organizations, this precedent shows that social mobilization “can stop normalization” and “force” institutions and sports organizations to “react.” The statement comes before the Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, announced that this match will also finally be played behind closed doors for security reasons.
“In recent months, non-violent mobilizations have evidenced an increasingly broad opposition to the use of sport and large events as tools of political legitimation,” the organizations note, pointing out that the social response during the final stage of La Vuelta in Madrid was “a clear example.”
The signatory entities also emphasize that sport cannot be placed “apart from international crimes” nor “protect itself in a supposed neutrality.” Allowing this match to be held, they maintain, represents “a form of political and symbolic complicity.”
For all these reasons, the groups demand that the institutions adopt the necessary administrative and political measures to prevent the celebration of this sporting event and have called on people to participate in the citizen mobilizations called on Thursday in front of the sports venue.
Sofia Reyes covers basketball and baseball for Archysport, specializing in statistical analysis and player development stories. With a background in sports data science, Sofia translates advanced metrics into compelling narratives that both casual fans and analytics enthusiasts can appreciate. She covers the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and international basketball competitions, with a particular focus on emerging talent and how front offices build winning rosters through data-driven decisions.
