Tutu's letter, to Britain's Guardian newspaper, which was also signed by ex-Mali striker Frederic Kanoute and a number of prominent sympathizers of the Palestinian cause, is aimed at increasing the pressure on UEFA to cancel the event in Israel.
Tutu's letter read: "On Friday, delegates from European football associations gathered in a London hotel for UEFA's annual congress. They agreed new, strict guidelines to deal with racism, suggesting a commendable determination to combat discrimination in the sport.”
"We find it shocking that this same organization shows total insensitivity to the blatant and entrenched discrimination inflicted on Palestinian sportsmen and women by Israel.”
"We call on UEFA, even at this late stage, to reverse the choice of Israel as a venue."
Tutu, 81, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for standing up against white-minority rule in South Africa.
He played a pivotal role in the downfall of apartheid and subsequently worked to heal wounds in South Africa's traumatized society.
Last week, over 50 international footballers joined anti-apartheid protesters in London to demand that the European football’s governing body calls off the planned under-21 European football championship in Israel.