Reebok denied Israeli media reports that it ordered its logo removed from Israel’s national team kits, despite boycott campaigns.

Confusion deepened Tuesday over Reebok’s ties with Israel’s national soccer team after conflicting reports surfaced in Israeli media.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the sportswear company had instructed its Israeli importer, MSG, to remove its logo from uniforms supplied to the Israel Football Association (IFA). 

The outlet reported that Reebok International had never signed a direct agreement with the IFA and sought to distance itself from the use of its brand on the kits, which were unveiled in August and first worn during a World Cup qualifier against Moldova on September 5.

The IFA reacted furiously, saying it regretted that Reebok had “chosen to succumb to boycott threats that were completely irrelevant,” and declared it would consider legal action. “There are clear laws against boycotts, and we will examine all legal options available to us,” the IFA said, as quoted in the Times of Israel. It added that the Israeli flag and the team’s emblem “will continue to be proudly displayed” and that the association was “convinced” it would secure “a braver and more honest sponsor.”

The controversy comes amid years of boycott campaigns targeting sports brands tied to the IFA. Italian sportswear firm Erreà had reportedly backed away from a sponsorship deal earlier this year following pressure from activists, while Puma did not renew its contract in 2023 after a five-year global boycott campaign. Adidas had already severed ties with the IFA in 2018 after sustained pressure from Palestinian sports clubs and activists, including the delivery of more than 16,000 signatures to the company’s headquarters.

Reebok orders Israel’s national soccer team to remove logo from uniforms amid boycott pressurehttps://t.co/bQ5jPVldDg

— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) September 30, 2025

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has long targeted the IFA, arguing that its inclusion of football clubs based in illegal Israeli settlements normalizes violations of international law. In a statement earlier this year, BDS described Reebok’s involvement with the IFA as granting “international legitimacy to the IFA’s actions.”

BDS has also accused Israel of committing “sporticide,” citing the bombing and destruction of Palestinian stadiums and sports facilities, and the routine denial of freedom of movement to Palestinian athletes. The campaign says Israel has imprisoned and shot Palestinian players, and in some cases killed children while they played football. According to BDS, as of January 2025, at least 715 Palestinian athletes and footballers had been killed during Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, while every sports facility in the Strip — stadiums, gyms and clubhouses — had been destroyed or damaged, some of them later used as detention or torture sites.

Amid this mounting criticism, the reports of Reebok pulling its logo from Israeli team kits appeared to mark another high-profile retreat.

The Israeli Football Association is now threatening to sue Reebok after the company pulled out of its sponsorship agreement with the Israeli national football team citing, get this, “clear laws against boycotts.” 🧐https://t.co/p8Mpz8ub9l pic.twitter.com/uSBKky4mR1

— Nathan Kalman-Lamb (@nkalamb) September 30, 2025

But the company has now issued a categorical denial. Speaking to Reuters, a Reebok spokesperson said: “Reebok is proud of our record as a unifier of all cultures on and off the pitch. Reports in Israeli news outlets claiming that Reebok has directed the IFA to remove its logos from its national team kits are simply not true.”

The contradiction leaves unresolved questions about the exact nature of the relationship between Reebok, its local distributor, and the IFA. While Israeli media and BDS suggest some form of arrangement existed — or was at least planned — Reebok insists it has taken no steps to withdraw from sponsorship and has not instructed the IFA to alter its uniforms.

For now, the incident underscores how global sportswear companies remain at the center of heated battles over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, with sponsorships seen as either bolstering or undermining the legitimacy of the IFA.

(The Palestine Chronicle)