FIFA is due to announce on October 3 its decision on whether or not to sanction Israel, which has been at war with Hamas for several months. In May, the president of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, had asked the body in charge of world football to “stay on the right side of history”.
The FIFA Council is expected to decide on the possibility of sanctioning Israel at its meeting on 3 October. The body in charge of world football has commissioned a legal study to assess the situation. After several postponements, FIFA is expected to deliver its verdict, although there is no guarantee of this date. For its part, UEFA is not considering any measures against Israel.
“We appreciate the professionalism and impartiality that FIFA has demonstrated in handling this matter, particularly in referring the matter to legal experts for a thorough assessment. The PFA remains confident in the fairness of the ongoing proceedings,” the Palestinian Football Association said in a statement.
At the 74th Congress in May, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino refused to put to the vote the sanctions demanded by the Palestinian federation (PFA) against its Israeli counterpart (IFA), believing that they should “be managed” by the organisation’s executive.
“Cynical attempt” to “harm Israeli football”, according to the Israeli Federation
Given the “urgency” of the situation, he had however promised “an extraordinary Council” by July 20, but this deadline was pushed back during the summer, leaving the “independent legal experts” mandated by FIFA until the end of August to complete their report.
In May, PFA president Jibril Rajoub urged FIFA to “stand on the right side of history” by voting to immediately suspend the IFA and refer several of its members to the disciplinary committee.
In a seven-page letter sent in mid-March, the PFA listed the direct consequences of the Israeli bombings in Gaza – “at least 92 footballers killed” and all sports infrastructure destroyed – but also highlighted the absence of a serious fight against anti-Palestinian “discrimination and racism”, the racism claimed by some Beitar Jerusalem supporters, as well as publications by Israeli leaders on social networks supporting “genocide in Gaza”.
In response, IFA President Shino Moshe Zuares denounced in Bangkok a “cynical attempt” to “harm Israeli football”, based according to him “on motives that have nothing to do with sport”.
“This is an extremely complicated political situation. I wouldn’t wish this kind of tragedy on anyone,” he said, assuring that he wanted to “reach out” and “consider friendly matches” when “the atmosphere has calmed down again.”
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