The governing body will seek legal advice after calls for Israel to be “immediately” suspended from international football.
FIFA, world football’s governing body, said it would seek legal advice before meeting in July to decide on a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international matches.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the plan at the organization’s annual congress in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday after the Palestinian Football Federation (PFA) presented arguments accusing the Israeli Football Federation ( IFA) to violate the FIFA statutes with its war on Gaza and its inclusion. of teams located in Palestinian territory in its national league.
“I ask you to stand on the right side of history… If not now, when?” said PFA President Jibril Rajoub, speaking to delegates from 211 member associations. “FIFA cannot afford to remain indifferent to these violations or the ongoing genocide in Palestine. »
Infantino said FIFA “will now commission independent legal expertise to analyze the three requests (from the PFA) and ensure that FIFA’s statutes are applied in the right way”, with an extraordinary council meeting scheduled for July 25 .
Israel called the ban “cynical.”
The PFA is calling 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 noted “violations of international law committed by the Israeli occupation of Palestine, particularly Gaza” and cited FIFA’s statutory commitments on human rights and against discrimination.
The PFA wrote that “all football infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed or seriously damaged, including the historic al-Yarmouk stadium” and said it had the support for the motion from the Algerian federations , from Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Yemen. .
Rajoub said that “the Palestinian people, including the Palestinian football family, are experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”
He said he had been threatened because of his proposed sanctions.
“The Israeli foreign minister seriously threatened to imprison me if I do not withdraw this proposal, but no power in the world can stand in the way of the truth,” he said.
His Israeli counterpart, Shino Moshe Zuares, said no rules had been broken and the proposal had nothing to do with football.
“Once again we are faced with a cynical and hostile political attempt by the PFA to harm Israel,” he said.
“I’m holding back…in the hope that things can improve for those who play in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and/or for those who play anywhere in the world. »
Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, expressed his support for the Palestinian motion before the congress.
