Fifa talks over throwing Israel out of world game
Talks on throwing Israel out of world football over its response to the Oct 7 Hamas terrorist attacks are to be held at Fifa’s annual congress next month.
The Palestine Football Association has submitted a proposal for inclusion on the agenda for the May 17 congress in Bangkok to address what it branded as actions that represented “an existential threat tantamount to genocide”.
The proposal, which is not due to be put to a vote, was backed by the FAS of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Yemen. Fifa and Uefa have both already resisted calls to ban Israel from the World Cup and European Championship.
Accusing Israel of war crimes, the Palestine FA said it had breached a binding order by the International Court of Justice to prevent a genocide in Gaza, and ignored calls for similar restraint from the United Nations.
Its proposal included a claim that “at least 92 footballers, including 23 young juniors” had been killed in Israeli attacks on Palestine and cited Fifa’s decision to throw Russia out of world football following its invasion of Ukraine.
The Palestine FA said: “Given the global tensions and sentiments regarding the situation in Gaza, it is hard to understand why the same safety and security arguments have not been brought out by Fifa in case of Israel. There is a good chance that some football associations will refuse to play against Israel.”
The proposal also accused the Israeli FA of several breaches of Fifa statutes, including the protection of human rights and the prevention of discrimination. It said: “The Israeli FA continues to represent the interests of its government which violate Fifa statutes by continuing to include illegal settlement clubs located on the territory of Palestine in its national league. Furthermore, it continues to allow racism in its league to go unchecked.”
Fifa did not comment, instead referring to a letter from president Gianni Infantino to the Israeli and Palestine FAS. “Fifa joins in calling for the immediate end of hostilities and for the immediate relief of the suffering of the people of both Israel and Palestine,” he said.
The Israeli FA said the call for a ban was “nothing but a cynical and shameless move” and that “along with fair friends in Fifa, Uefa, and other confederations and associations, we will fight against dark forces and prevent them from achieving their evil targets.”