The announcement of an international football team’s new kit sponsor is rarely a newsworthy
affair, rather a humdrum exercise in marketing rhetoric and brand spiel.
Ostensibly, at least, that seemed to be the case in July, 2018, when Puma revealed plans
to manufacture the official livery of the Israel Football Association (IFA).
Replacing a contract previously managed by Adidas, Zvika Schwimmer, CEO of Delta, who
oversee the sportswear brand’s licence in Israel, spoke enthusiastically about their
ambitions for the kit.
“The new concept of the uniform is a retro-inspired design of the legendary Israel national team
from World Cup Mexico in 1970. I am sure that these uniforms will accompany the teams with
success and pride in their games in Israel and throughout the world,” he announced.
Conjuring tickertape images of Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivellino and Tostão, a flying Gordon Banks
and equally airborne Gerd Müller, Schwimmer claimed the “very special” kit harked
back to a golden era for the national side.
In fact, he was referencing a competition that saw the Israeli team appear in their
first (and only) World Cup finals, where they met the Italian team ultimately routed by
Brazil 4-1 in Mexico City.
But the announcement was actually loaded with drama in the way it fed the enduring division
that exists between Israel and Palestine, as has been proved in the ensuing months.
Because the sportswear brand are currently at the centre of a global #BoycottPuma movement,
standing accused of “sportwashing” the alleged human rights abuses of the nation
they sponsor.
This initiative is being driven by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, a Palestinian-led
organisation standing for freedom, justice and equality.
In an email to Puma signed by more than 200 Palestinian sports clubs following the announcement,
they called for an end to the sponsorship deal, outlining why it has proved so contentious.
BDS objections are founded upon the same territorial dispute which prompted wars between the nations
in 1948 and 1967. After the second conflict, Israel began to establish Jewish civilian
communities on occupied Palestinian land on the West Bank of the River Jordan and Gaza
on the Mediterranean coast, in violation of the Geneva Convention.
“The IFA sponsors football matches in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as exposed
by Human Rights Watch and other human rights organisations. There are six Israeli football
clubs located in Israel’s settlements, on stolen Palestinian land, that Palestinians
are not allowed to enter,” stated BDS.
“Israel’s settlements contribute to serious human rights abuses and are a direct cause
for restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, access to natural resources and
ability to build homes and conduct business,” they claimed.
The dispute has exposed further cracks in the relationship between the two countries,
creating a de facto political football to be kicked around in tandem with their existing
grievances.
On a national stage, Palestine's football team have made great strides in the two decades
since being granted official FIFA membership in 1998, successfully qualifying for the 2015
and 2019 Asian Cup.
In February 2018, after a 12-match unbeaten run, they rose to an all-time high position
of 73rd in the FIFA rankings, moving above Israel for the first time.
In response, a spokesman for the IFA, who compete separately in European tournaments,
commented. "We wish the Palestinians all the best as always.”
A suggestion was also made that the two teams might one day play a friendly match. "May
the best team win," added the spokesman.
But despite such cordial language, the reality on the ground for Palestinian footballers
is radically different across this contested landscape.
#BoycottPuma is supported by Abdelatif Bahdari, captain of the Palestinian men’s national
football team who plays for El-Geish in Egypt, and Aya Khattab, a defender for the women’s
team.
In an interview with Tifo, 20-year-old Khattab, who was part of the Al-Bireh Institute team
which finished runners-up in the 2018/2019 season of the Palestinian Women’s League,
described the initiative’s motivations.
“By sponsoring the IFA, Puma is sponsoring a tool of our oppression. The IFA includes
teams in illegal Israeli settlements, which are land grabs at the heart of Israel’s
brutal military occupation that has been going on for decades,” she said.
“For Palestinians, simple acts like going to university or practicing sports become
a dangerous obstacle course of walls and military checkpoints. For footballers, it means seeing
armed Israeli soldiers raid your pitch and arrest, injure or even kill your teammates.
“Puma’s global brand gives a green light to Israel to continue oppressing Palestinians
with no consequences. Puma says it is committed to human rights. It should therefore end this
sponsorship,” explained Khattab.
The backlash is unlikely to have come as a major shock to Puma. Adidas were previously
met with similar resistance, taking delivery of a petition containing16,000 signatures
at their Amsterdam offices.
Consequently, the brand insisted acting in “a politically neutral way” and called
on football’s governing body to offer more decisive guidance in such disputes.
“We do support and uphold human rights standards and norms and we have raised with FIFA the
need for them to adjudicate on the question of the Israeli settlement teams, by following
the tenets of international law and their human rights policy,” said Adidas in a statement.
#BoycottPuma continues to gather momentum and a second day of action took place across
the world in 2019, reaching London, where Tube operators TFL were forced to remove fly-posters
they deemed “vandalism”.
British football is also being targeted. BDS recently claimed victory when Liverpool confirmed
plans to swap kit sponsors from New Balance to Nike for 2020/21, despite concrete interest
from Puma.
More than 30,000 emails have reportedly been sent to clubs bearing the leaping cat logo,
including Manchester City, in a bid to highlight the campaign.
Meanwhile, tensions between Israel and Palestine are still simmering on the pitch. In September,
the Israeli government reportedly cancelled the FIFA Palestine Cup.
The match between Gaza’s Khadamat Rafah and FC Balata from Nablus in the West Bank
was called off for a second time because of an issue with travel permits.
The Gazan team were unable to make the short trip into the West Bank after only five of
their players were granted permission, amid allegations that some had links to terrorism.
The winner of the Palestinian national football club championship goes on to represent the
country in the AFC Champions League, a qualifier for the FIFA Club World Cup.
In a response to questions about the campaign, Puma said they were dedicated to “help everyone
compete in sports no matter who they are or where they are from.”
In statement released to Tifo, they commented: “Puma supplies the Israeli National Teams
via a local distribution partner to compete in international competitions. To claim we
have any other official connection or association be it to the Super League or any other Israeli
club team is incorrect.
“As a brand concerned only with the power that sport has to bring people together, Puma
does not support any political direction, political parties or governments. Our devotion
to universal equality is aligned with the fundamental principles of our #REFORM platform.”
The #REFORM branding exercise was launched in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of Tommie
Smith and John Carlos’s raised fist, black power salute at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.