Graffitti calls on Rugby Europe to ban Israel ahead of Malta match
Malta Rugby Football Union would face 'debilitating fines' if they cancel the game
Moviment Graffitti has called on Rugby Europe to cut ties with the Israeli national rugby team ahead of a scheduled match against Malta next month.
The Maltese national rugby team will play against Israel on April 5 at the Tony Bezzina Stadium as part of a Rugby Europe competition.
Malta Rugby Football Union could face a fine of tens of thousands of euro if they refuse to play, sources told Times of Malta.
In a statement, the activist group urged the governing body to "sever its ties with the Israeli national rugby team, just as it did with the Russian team."
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Rugby Europe banned Russian teams from participating in international competitions. Graffitti is now calling for similar measures to be taken against Israel.
The group said that by allowing Israel to continue participating, Rugby Europe is violating its own code of ethics, which is based on respect for human rights and dignity.
“Moreover, national rugby teams are threatened with a debilitating fine if they refuse to play games with the Israeli national team,” the group said. “This makes the European Rugby Union a complicit partner in Israel's sportswashing campaign and ultimately, genocide.”
In 2023, Malta Rugby Football Union were fined €20,000 when they did not travel to Israel due to insecurity in the region, rugby sources told Times of Malta.
They said that should Malta not play this time they can expect the fine to be even higher.
In response to Graffitti, the president of the Malta Rugby Football Union, Robert Portelli, said that the organisation firmly believed in the power of sport to unite people from different backgrounds.
“Sport should remain a tool for peace. It provides an opportunity to unite people rather than divide them,” he said.
Portelli added that boycotts, protests, and exclusions move people further away from peace and from the core values that sport embodies. The Union noted that Malta has faced Israel several times in the past without incident.
“This reinforces the idea that sport should transcend politics and remain a platform for mutual respect and camaraderie,” he said, adding that none of the local team members have expressed a desire not to play.
On the issue of fines, the MRFU said regulations are set by Rugby Europe and that, as a member union, it adhered to internal processes for handling such matters. “We do not comment externally on regulatory issues,” the Union said.
Portelli also highlighted the pressures facing the volunteer-run federation.
“There are bigger challenges that consume the time and energy of the volunteers who dedicate themselves to growing and maintaining sport in Malta,” he said.