Uefa says ‘stop killing children’ banner was not political

"It's just common sense."

Instead, Uefa have claimed that their message was about humanity.

The banner was unveiled last night before the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain.

Two Palestinian refugee children were joined by seven others from conflict zones in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Ukraine at the opening ceremony.

The Times report that a Uefa insider said the message was "not political but about humanity, in fact you could say it is just common sense".

They added that the banner was planned before Liverpool striker, Mo Salah, called out Uefa for their tweet regarding Palestinian footballer, Suleiman al-Obeid, who was killed in an Israeli attack.

Salah was replying to a tweet from Uefa which read: "Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pelé'. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times."

Salah responded: "Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?"

Uefa released a statement about their opening ceremony ahead of the Super Cup final which read: "12-year-old Tala is a young Palestinian girl with fragile health who was transferred to Milan to receive appropriate medical care, as the adequate equipment was lacking in Gaza after the start of the war.

“Tala will be joined on the podium by nine-year-old Mohamed, who lost his parents during the war and was severely injured following an air strike. Due to the seriousness of his condition and his young age, Mohamed and his grandmother were fortunate enough to leave Gaza and were welcomed in Milan, where Mohamed is currently undergoing medical treatment.

“Nine children who are refugees in Italy — coming from different conflict zones (Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Palestine and Ukraine) will also participate in the opening ceremony, displaying a banner ‘STOP KILLING CHILDREN — STOP KILLING CIVILIANS’ during the teams’ line-up.

“The nine children are beneficiaries of one of the Uefa Foundation for Children partners, Inter Campus, a foundation active, among other areas, in social integration among differing ethnic groups and cultures.”