Israel-Gaza Conflict: English FA Bans “From River To The Sea”

The English Football Association has announced that it would write to all football clubs to warn their players against using the “From River To The Sea” phrase on social media.

The “From River To The Sea” phrase reportedly illustrates support for Palestinian nationalism, the country that has been at war with Israel, a country seen as a big ally to the Western world.

In September 2022, the conflict between Israel and Palestine soared to an all-time high when the terrorist group, Hamas, who are based in Gaza, a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, invaded Israel killing hundreds of people and kidnapping scores of others.

In retaliation to the attack, Israel launched a series of explosives in the city of Gaza and declared an outright war against the city leading to the death of thousands of both armed forces and civilians.

Since the crisis escalated, many people have been taking sides, especially famous opinion leaders.

Recently, Leicester City’s 26-year-old English-born player, Hamza Choudhury took to X to share a post carrying the “From River To The Sea” phrase and that led to a serious backlash which forced him to delete the post and tender a public apology for using the phrase.

“If this phrase is used again by a football participant, we will seek police guidance on how we should treat it and respond,” a statement from the English FA on Wednesday, November 1, read.

The statement added: “After careful consideration, we will be writing to all clubs to make it clear that this phrase is considered offensive to many, and should not be used by players in social media posts.

“The player has apologized and deleted the tweet. We are strongly encouraging clubs to ensure that players do not post content that may be offensive or inflammatory to any community.”