Elham Asaad Buaras
The world governing body of football will obtain independent legal advice before holding an extraordinary council meeting by July 25 to decide on a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international football due to its bombings in Gaza.
The President of FIFA outlined the plan at the FIFA congress on May 17 in Bangkok, following speeches by representatives of the Palestinian and Israeli football federations.
“FIFA will mandate, as of now, independent legal expertise to analyse the three requests (from the Palestinian FA) and ensure the FIFA statutes are applied in the right way,” said Gianni Infantino.
“This legal assessment will have to allow for inputs and claims of both member associations. The results and the recommendations … will be forwarded to the FIFA council.
“Due to the urgency of the situation, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and will take place before 25 July to review the results of the legal assessment and to take the decisions that are appropriate.”
The Palestine FA’s (PFA) proposal 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 motion highlighted “international law violations by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, especially in Gaza,” referencing FIFA’s commitments to human rights and anti-discrimination statutes.
The PFA stated that “all the football infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed or seriously damaged, including the historic Al-Yarmuk stadium.” They also mentioned receiving support for the motion from the federations of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Yemen.
Before Infantino’s announcement, PFA President Jibril Rajoub had called for immediate action from FIFA.
“As I speak to you today, the Palestinian people, including the Palestinian football family, are enduring an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. We are witnesses to a live televised genocide unfolding in Gaza,” Rajoub said.
“I ask you to stand on the right side of history and vote now. The suffering of millions, including thousands of footballers, deserves as much. If not now, then when? Mr. President, the ball is in your court.” Rajoub called for FIFA “to temporarily suspend the IFA as a member of FIFA with immediate effect.”
Jordan FA General Secretary, Samar Nassar, backed Rajoub, saying: “We are not here to deliberate on the human tragedy. We are here to take a vote, the world is witnessing what FIFA will do today.”
“FIFA has stood on the right side of history before it banned Yugoslavia, when it banned Russia, and when it banned South Africa for more than 20 years. And I think we have a role to play today,” Nassar added. In response to calls for the ban on the Israeli Football Association (IFA), the association’s President, Shino Moshe Zuares, emphasized the role of football in healing divisions.
“Seven months after the terrible day, when football matches cannot be played in large parts of Israel, north and south, and over 130 Israelis are still being held in Gaza, it is an injustice that even in these circumstances we find ourselves fighting for our basic right to be part of the game.”
He also characterized the attempt by the Palestinian Association to get Israel suspended from FIFA as cynical and political, asserting that the IFA has not and will not violate FIFA and UEFA regulations.
However, the Palestinian FA has for years accused its Israeli counterpart of violating international law and FIFA’s statutes, allowing teams from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to compete in its national league.
The contention surrounding Israeli settlement teams stems from their location in Israeli settlements within the occupied West Bank, recognized internationally as part of Palestinian territory under the authority of the Palestinian FA.
As the Palestinian FA did not grant consent for Israeli teams to play on its territory, there are claims that FIFA contradicts its own regulations by permitting these teams to participate under the Israeli FA.
While FIFA has acknowledged these complaints, it has not taken any action against Israel, allowing it to continue participating in international competitions.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino (Credit:UNIS Vienna/Nikoleta Haffar)
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