Uefa displays 'stop killing children' banner at Super Cup

A banner which read "Stop killing children - Stop killing civilians" was displayed by Uefa before the Super Cup final between Tottenham and Paris St-Germain on Wednesday.

The sign was shown on the pitch in front of the players as they lined up before kick-off at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy.

Two refugee children from Gaza were involved in the medal ceremony.

European football's governing body said they were a 12-year-old Palestinian girl called Tala and nine-year-old boy Mohamed, who have both relocated to Milan for medical treatment.

Nine children who are refugees in Italy from areas of conflict including Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Ukraine took part in the pre-match display.

On Saturday, Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah was critical of Uefa posting a tribute to Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid on social media which failed to refer to the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said Obeid, 41, who was known as the "Pele of Palestinian football", was killed in an Israeli attack while waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day.

After Uefa paid tribute to Al-Obeid in a post on X, Salah responded "Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?"

On Tuesday, the Uefa Foundation for Children announced it had expanded its humanitarian efforts to help children in Gaza, partnering with three charities providing humanitarian aid.

According to Uefa's own rules, political, ideological, and religious messages are prohibited in stadiums before, during or after matches.

Uefa can impose financial penalties and other disciplinary measures for breaking these rules.

Tala, who joined Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin for the medal ceremony after PSG beat Spurs on penalties, was described as a young girl "with fragile health", who had been transferred to Milan to receive appropriate medical care, with equipment lacking in Gaza since the start of the war.

She was joined on the podium by Mohamed who lost both his parents during the war and was "severely injured following an air strike".

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel's offensive has since killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition.