Global soccer’s governing body FIFA on Friday postponed a decision to temporarily ban Israel over its actions during the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank, saying it needed to seek legal advice before taking a motion submitted by the Palestinian Football Federation.
The motion calling for Israel to suspend the match cited “Israeli’s occupation of Palestine, particularly Gaza, as a violation of international law” and cited violations of FIFA’s human rights and discrimination regulations.
response an emotional address At the FIFA annual congress, the head of the Palestinian football body Jibril Rajoub and FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the urgency of the situation meant that he would convene the International Football Association Conference on July 25. Special meeting of the United Nations High-Level Committee.
He said that ahead of that meeting, FIFA would ask experts to analyze whether Israel’s actions violated the governing body’s rules.In contrast, FIFA moved quickly in 2022 Ban Russian teams and clubs The game ended after the country’s military launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Rajoub has imposed sanctions on Israel and its teams over the years on a variety of issues, including freedom of movement for Palestinian players and allowing teams from areas governed by the Palestinian Football Association to compete in Israeli domestic leagues. Mr Rajoub said that since Israeli forces invaded Gaza last October in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on October 7, all football infrastructure in the area, including a historic stadium, had been destroyed.
Moshe Zuares, president of the Israeli Football Association, called the Palestinian motion “cynical.” But even a temporary ban on his team could affect its chances of qualifying for the 2026 Men’s World Cup later this year.
Both Israeli and Palestinian officials used Friday’s run-up to the conference to lobby officials from other national federations.A day earlier, at a meeting of Asian football’s governing body, members A video was played Showing the impact of the war in Gaza, the motion was then unanimously decided in favor of a Palestinian federation.
Jordanian officials asked FIFA to take action after Palestinian officials twice addressed FIFA’s 211 member nations at a meeting on Friday.
Infantino, while acknowledging the urgency of the matter, declined to call a vote. Instead, he said the organization’s 37-member board of governors will decide what to do within two months.
“FIFA will immediately commission independent legal experts to assess the three demands made by the Palestinian Football Association and ensure that FIFA’s status and regulations are correctly applied,” he said.
