FIFA seeks legal advice on Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel – NBC New York

FIFA will seek independent legal advice before holding an extraordinary council meeting by July 25 to decide on a Palestinian proposal to ban Israel from international football over its conflict with Hamas.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino outlined the plan at the FIFA Congress on Friday after representatives from the Palestinian and Israeli football associations had the opportunity to address the 211 member associations.

“FIFA will immediately engage independent legal experts to analyze the three applications (from the Palestinian Football Association) and ensure that FIFA’s statutes are properly applied,” Infantino said. “In this legal assessment, the submissions and claims of both member associations must be taken into account. The findings and recommendations… will be forwarded to the FIFA Council.

“Due to the urgency of the situation, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened before July 25 to examine the results of the legal assessment and take the appropriate decisions.”

The Palestinian Football Association’s proposal to 211 member associations called for “appropriate sanctions with immediate effect against Israeli teams,” according to FIFA documents released a month before the congress and council meetings in Bangkok.

The request mentioned “violations of international law by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza” and cited FIFA’s legal obligations on human rights and against discrimination.

The Palestinian Football Association wrote that “all football infrastructure in Gaza was either destroyed or severely damaged, including the historic Al-Yarmuk stadium,” and said it had support for the request from the associations of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Syria Yemen.