FIFA, the governing body of world football, has initiated an urgent legal assessment of a proposal presented by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) to suspend Israel amidst the conflict in Gaza. FIFA has pledged to address this matter at an extraordinary council meeting scheduled for July.
The decision was made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the annual Congress held in Bangkok. The president acted following an impassioned appeal by the PFA president to delegates, urging them to consider suspending Israel from all club and national competitions. The PFA accused Israel of numerous violations of FIFA statutes.
The Palestinian proposal alleges that the Israel Football Association (IFA) has been complicit in violations of international law by the Israeli government, discriminates against Arab players, and includes clubs located in occupied Palestinian territories in its league. The IFA has refuted these claims. Israel’s right-wing government does not recognise the illegality of settlements in the West Bank under international law and aims to annex them.
This call for sanctions against the IFA comes two years after FIFA’s decision to suspend Russia from international competitions following its invasion of Ukraine.
PFA President Jibril Rajoub stated, “FIFA cannot afford to remain indifferent to these violations or to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, just as it did not remain indifferent to numerous precedents.”
Rajoub questioned FIFA’s response, asking how much more the Palestinian football community must endure before FIFA acts with the same urgency and decisiveness as in other cases. He questioned whether FIFA considers some conflicts to be more significant than others and some victims more deserving of attention.
Since October 7th, there have been more than 35,200 Palestinian fatalities and 77,000 injuries in the Gaza Strip.
Rajoub highlighted that among the casualties were 193 Palestinian football players. He noted the destruction of football infrastructure, the suspension of leagues, and the requirement for the national team to play World Cup qualifiers abroad.