Two Palestinian children took part on Wednesday in the medal ceremony of the 2025 UEFA Super Cup soccer match in Udine, Italy, while a banner reading “STOP KILLING CHILDREN—STOP KILLING CIVILIANS” was displayed during the teams’ line-up before kickoff.
UEFA (The Union of European Football Associations) decided to display the message on the pitch in front of the players despite its own rules that prohibit the conveying of political, ideological and religious messages in stadiums.
Article 44 of the UEFA Safety and Security Regulations states: “The promotion or announcement, by any means, of political messages or of any other political actions inside or in the immediate vicinity of the stadium is strictly prohibited before, during and after the match.”
Coupled with the invitation of the Palestinian children, it was clear that the message was aimed at Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in Gaza for the past 22 months in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre.
The children—Tala, 12, and Mohamed, 9—joined UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin to greet the players for the medal ceremony, after Paris Saint-Germain beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on penalties.
UEFA described Tala as “a young Palestinian girl with fragile health who was transferred to Milan to receive appropriate medical care, as the adequate equipment was lacking in Gaza after the start of the war.”
Mohamed, UEFA stated, “lost his parents during the war and was severely injured following an air strike.” Mohamed and his grandmother left Gaza for Milan so the boy could receive treatment due to the seriousness of his condition, the soccer federation added.
Moreover, nine children from conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, “Palestine” and Ukraine, and who have sought refuge in Italy, participated in the opening ceremony of the match.
Their participation was organized by the UEFA Foundation for Children, a charitable organization established in 2015 by UEFA to defend the rights of underprivileged children.
As the game kicked off, UEFA chose to post the following on X: “From the UEFA Super Cup in Udine, the message is loud and clear. A banner. A call.”
From the UEFA Super Cup in Udine, the message is loud and clear.
— UEFA (@UEFA) August 13, 2025
A banner. A call. pic.twitter.com/HNjPja4OBk
On Tuesday, the foundation announced it had expanded its efforts to help children in Gaza, having partnered with charities providing aid.
It wrote on its website, “The latest partnerships have been set up with three charities providing vital humanitarian help for the children of Gaza, who are enduring what U.N. Secretary General António Guterres has described as ‘a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.’”
The organizations are Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières and Handicap International.
