WAR ON WANT has published a report alleging that Premier League clubs are promoting and benefiting from corporate sponsors linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territory.

The study, titled Red Card: English Premier League Complicity in Israel’s Atrocities against the Palestinians, claims at least 15 club sponsors have connections to Israel’s operations in Gaza, illegal settlement activity, and what it describes as a wider system of apartheid.

Among the companies named in the report are AXA, BP, Canon, Carlsberg, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Eurobank, Evelyn Partners, Expedia/Hotels.com, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Oracle and Sony.

War on Want says nine Premier League clubs — Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur — have sponsors it considers “complicit,” while Brighton and Burnley are listed as having partners “at risk of complicity.”

The report also highlights what it describes as the devastation of Palestinian sport since October 2023, claiming hundreds of sports facilities have been damaged or destroyed, more than 500 members of the Palestinian FA have been killed and domestic leagues in Gaza and the West Bank have collapsed.

It further alleges that stadiums have been repurposed as detention sites and that restrictions have been placed on the import of sports equipment into Gaza.

Overall, casualty figures cited in the report include tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and widespread destruction of homes and schools.

War on Want argues that, despite the scale of the conflict, Israel and the Israel FA continue to compete internationally, contrasting this with sporting sanctions imposed on other countries in previous conflicts.

The report also criticises “sportswashing” in football, claiming Premier League clubs are linked to a banking and sponsorship network that includes Barclays, the league’s main sponsor.

It argues that all 20 Premier League clubs are indirectly associated with Barclays through the league’s central sponsorship agreement and claims the company has historic links to discrimination in South Africa and Israel.

The organisation says it raised its findings with clubs, the FA and the Premier League in March, warning of potential reputational and legal risks if commercial relationships are not reviewed.

Neil Sammonds, senior campaigner on Palestine at War on Want, said: “These clubs speak proudly about equality, inclusion and community. Yet behind the branding, some are using ‘sportswashing’ to sanitise corporations connected to some of the gravest crimes and humanitarian catastrophes of our time. 

“The Premier League has shown before that it can act when sponsorship becomes morally toxic. The question is why Palestinian lives appear to count for less.”

The group is calling for the Premier League to ban sponsorship from companies it considers linked to violations of international law, for clubs to review existing deals, and for the government to ensure British-based firms are not contributing to alleged abuses.

The Premier League has not publicly responded to the report.