October 3 – Is FIFA finally running out of patience with Israel? Following delay after delay over Palestinian demands for action, a decision on whether or not to suspend Israel from international football is set to be taken by the FIFA Council today.
Last month FIFA continued to drag its feet over the crisis in the Middle East by once again delaying a review of a Palestinian bid to have Israel kicked out over its destruction of Gaza.
At the FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May, FIFA president Gianni Infantino mandated a panel of independent legal experts to assess the Palestine – Israel conflict but both the assessment and decision were postponed to allow Israel to compete in the Olympic football tournament.
The Palestine Football Association’s complaint should then have been addressed during an extraordinary FIFA Council meeting in July.
However, on July 19, FIFA moved the goalposts again, indicating that the review by its all-powerful Council “for any subsequent decision” would take place “no later than 31 August 2024.”
No decision was taken but last month, FIFA said it would finally consider the Palestine Football Association’s (PFA) proposals. “FIFA has received the independent legal assessment of the Palestine Football Association’s proposals against Israel,” FIFA said at the time. “This assessment will be sent to the FIFA Council to review in order that the subject can be discussed at its next meeting which will take place in October.”
As a result, today’s council agenda includes a “proposal submitted by the Palestine Football Association at the 74th FIFA congress.”
Israel has rejected all the allegations but the PFA claims over 90 Palestinian players have been killed in the war, as well as football infrastructure being destroyed, its leagues suspended and its national team required to play World Cup qualifiers abroad.
Since the war in Gaza the situation in the Middle East has escalated still further with the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon plus the involvement of Iran.
The PFA believes Israel’s federation has committed “violations of FIFA regulations” and wants sanctions against the country’s “national teams and clubs”.
Shino Moshe Zuares, the president of the Israeli FA, has dismissed the claims: “We are facing a cynical political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian association to harm Israeli football,” he charged.
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