FIFA postpones decision on Israel football ban due to ‘legal review’

FIFA has postponed a decision on whether to ban Israel from world football until July. Its president, Gianni Infantino, said that the world football association must first consult external legal opinions.

Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub called for Israel’s suspension during an impassioned speech at the FIFA annual congress in Bangkok on Friday.

Citing statistics about the impact of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, Rajoub called on FIFA to “stand on the right side of history.”

Citing previous FIFA decisions to suspend states such as Russia, apartheid-era South Africa and Yugoslavia, Rajoub asked: “Does FIFA consider some wars more important than others and some victims more significant?”

Rajoub also said that more than 250 Palestinian athletes, most of whom were soccer players, had been killed and several soccer stadiums destroyed in Gaza. He also reiterated his previous protests against the presence of six teams from Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory in the Israeli football leagues, which he said has long been a clear violation of FIFA regulations.

GO DEEPER

The Palestinian Football Association is calling for Israel to be excluded from FIFA

Israel launched its Gaza offensive in response to the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,000 Israelis.

While Israel received widespread international support and sympathy in the immediate aftermath of this attack, global opinion has since changed as the death toll in Gaza has risen and scenes of devastation have been broadcast around the world.

Rajoub won the full support of the Asian Football Association at its congress on Thursday and his speech on Friday was followed by a more measured but perhaps more convincing speech from the Jordanian association and a second speech by another PFA official.

However, between these interventions from the hall of Congress was an equally strident speech from Israel Football Association President Shino Moshe Zuares, who dismissed Rajoub’s demand as a “cynical political and hostile attempt to harm Israeli football.”

Like Rajoub, he told delegates from FIFA’s 211 member associations that Israeli football had been badly affected by the hostilities and that 130 Israelis were still being held hostage.

He also said that he still does not regret voting for the PFA to join FIFA in 1998 and hopes that one day players from the Israeli and Palestinian associations could play an international friendly match against each other.

After listening to the four speeches, Infantino ended the debate and clarified that a decision to suspend a member association can only be made by the FIFA Council, its main decision-making body made up of 37 senior officials from around the world.

GO DEEPER

Explained: Israel, Puma and a jersey sponsorship dispute

He pointed out that the Israel-Gaza conflict is something “the United Nations has been struggling with for years” and that FIFA is just a football organization.

“Football should and must never become a hostage to politics and always remain a carrier of peace, a source of hope, a force for good that unites people instead of dividing them,” he said.

But he also acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, saying the matter could not wait until the next scheduled FIFA Council meeting in October and would therefore be addressed at an “extraordinary” meeting before July 20. That means it will take place between the European Championships and Copa America in June/July and the start of the Paris Olympics, where Israel competes in the men’s football competition.

Infantino said the “legal assessment must take into account the submissions and claims of both member associations” and its recommendations will be forwarded to council members before their meeting.

Israel withdrew from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974 and eventually joined the European football confederation UEFA in 1992. Questions were raised about Israel’s status in football at the UEFA Congress in February, but the matter was quickly dismissed by the governing body’s leadership, saying they had no intention of banning the association.

GO DEEPER

Israel “hopes” to take part in the Copa America under the new CONMEBOL agreement

(David Balogh – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)