FIFA, world football’s governing body, has postponed a decision regarding the Palestinian Football Association’s (PFA) request to suspend Israel. Instead, the organisation has launched investigations to guide its eventual ruling.
At the FIFA Congress in Bangkok earlier this year, the PFA urged that the Israeli Football Association be suspended and Israeli teams be banned from FIFA competitions. An initial review was scheduled for July 20, but the deadline was extended to allow legal experts more time to complete their analysis.
During a meeting in Zurich, the FIFA council adopted the recommendations from the legal analysis and tasked its disciplinary committee with investigating allegations of discrimination raised by the PFA. Additionally, FIFA’s governance, audit, and compliance committee will look into the participation of Israeli teams based on what the PFA claims are Palestinian territories.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino commented, “The FIFA Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter… As we remain extremely shocked by what is happening, we urge all parties to restore peace to the region with immediate effect.”