Tottenham and Roma today announced a fixture to play in Israel. Besides there being many stadia in the UK, Italy and in between that are far more convenient for fans, the fixture should not be played in Israel because:

1) Israel is an apartheid state - as verified by an extraordinary spectrum of expert bodies including Amnesty International, the United Nations, the International Commission of Jurists, Harvard Law School and B'Tselem

The assassination by Israeli forces of another journalist, Shireen Abuakleh, as well as the attack on her coffin as it was transported from St Joseph French Hospital to the church is a powerful illustration of what non-Jews face in Israel.

The clubs have a moral responsibility to stand against racism. There's no point campaigning for "No Room for Racism" and then playing in a country which practices apartheid.

2) Many of our non-Jewish fans will be subject to Israeli apartheid laws, and may even be denied entry to Israel to watch the game. They may also be subject to the same sort of violence that killed Abuakleh, who was only taking photographs.

3) Finally, non-Jewish Palestinians may choose to retaliate when our clubs our there. We should not risk the safety of our players, the coaching staff or anyone else involved especially when they have all worked so hard to finish the season on a strong note. We don't need the risk.