FIFA postpones decision to ban Israel

The world football governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has postponed its decision on the proposal brought by the Palestine Football Association (PFA) to have the Israel Football Association (IFA) banned for alleged violation of the FIFA statutes.

In a statement via X, FIFA said the legal assessments of the proposal by PFA against IFA, which was supposed to be presented to the FIFA council meeting this weekend for consideration, will now be shared by 31 August. “Following requests for extension from both parties to submit their respective positions, duly granted by FIFA, more time is needed to conclude this process with due care and completeness,” reads the statement.

The Palestinian Football Association has submitted eight proposals for FIFA to “bring an end to the breaches of the FIFA statutes without further delay”.

An independent legal assessment of the Palestinian Football Association proposals against the Israel Football Association was due to be provided to FIFA Council by 20 July 2024.

Following requests for extension from both parties to submit their respective positions, duly granted…
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 18, 2024

The postponement has given Israel a green light to participate in the Paris Olympics everything that the regime stands accused of.

An independent legal assessment of the Palestinian Football Association proposals against the Israel Football Association was due to be provided to FIFA Council by 20 July 2024.

Following requests for extension from both parties to submit their respective positions, duly granted…
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 18, 2024

FIFA statutes that PFA alleges that have been breached

The submission which was signed by PFA’s president, Jibril Rajoub and general secretary, Firas Abu Hilal, states that the “effects of the Israeli government actions on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Palestine represent an existential threat tantamount to genocide as confirmed by both the UN and International Court of Justice.”

PFA President, Jibril Rajoub, during an exhibition match between South Africa and Palestine played at Athlone staduim in February this year. Photo by Mzi Velapi

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), from 7 October 2023 to 17 July 2024, there have been over 38,000 fatalities in the Gaza strip; 1,9-million (90%) Gazans have been displaced while close to 500,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

The Israel Football Association
is complicit in apartheid

The PFA further charges that the IFA have breached human rights, and the principles of non-discrimination and equality in membership admission. “The affiliation to the IFA of clubs based in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including Ma’aleh Adumim, Kiryat Arba, Givat Zeev, Bikat Hayarden and Ariel is an ongoing and long-term material violation of Articles 3, 4, 11 (1), 71 (2), and 72 of the FIFA Statutes (2022),” reads the submission document. The clubs, according to the PFA, are located in their territory but compete in Israeli leagues.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign-South Africa launched a campaign to have Israel kicked out of FIFA. They contend that instead of dealing with Israel’s colonial racism, the international and European football federations (FIFA and UEFA), “go out of their way to protect Israel, in effect supporting its racism. For example, Israel is allowed to be part of UEFA, instead of the Asian Football Confederation like other Middle Eastern and Asian countries, including Palestine.”

The organisation calls out the hypocrisy of UEFA and FIFA for kicking out Russia in 2022 but allowing Israel to carry on as though it is not committing genocide. “The atrocities inflicted on the Palestinians by Israel far exceeds the human cost of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Yet UEFA and FIFA suspended Russia in 2022 from all football competitions while Israel still participates in football matches.”

Request by PFA

The Palestine Football Association is calling on the council members to temporarily suspend the IFA as a member of FIFA, ban IFA from any football-related activity until the statutory objectives of the world football governing body are respected. They also call for the respecting of territorial integrity of the PFA and that the overall matter is referred to the FIFA disciplinary committee for adjudication and imposition of appropriate sanctions on the IFA and its direct and indirect members.

Meaning of the postponement

The postponement of the decision means that the Israeli national football team can play at the Paris Olympics starting on 26 July. Israel has been drawn into Group D alongside Japan, Mali and Paraguay. The two top teams from each group will advance to the knockout stages with the final game to be played on the 9th of August.