In light of the recent developments surrounding the call to suspend the Israeli Football Association by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), Fifa has announced it will conduct a thorough legal assessment before making a decision. The PFA’s call for the exclusion of Israel, which was backed by the Jordanian Football Association, has sparked a heated debate within the football community.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino emphasized that it is the responsibility of the Fifa Council to make a decision on this matter following a comprehensive legal assessment. This statement comes in response to the passionate appeal made by PFA President Jibril Rajoub, who urged Fifa to demonstrate the same level of urgency and decisiveness in addressing this issue as it has in previous cases. Rajoub questioned whether Fifa views certain conflicts as more significant than others and whether some victims are deemed more worthy of attention.
“How much more must the Palestine football family suffer for Fifa to act with the same severity and urgency as it did in other cases?” PFA president Jibril Rajoub said.
“Does Fifa consider some wars to be more important than others and some victims to be more significant?
“I ask you to stand on the right side of history. The suffering of millions, including thousands of footballers, deserves as much. If not now, then when? Mr President, the ball is in your court.”
The conflict between Israel and Gaza has been a focal point of the discussion, with both sides presenting their perspectives. The president of the Israel Football Association, Shino Moshe Zuares, condemned the PFA’s efforts as a cynical political maneuver designed to undermine Israeli football. Zuares highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by Israeli football due to the conflict, emphasizing the impact on both the ability to play matches and the individuals still being held in Gaza.
Shino Moshe Zuares, the president of the Israel Football Association, said: “We are facing a cynical political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian association to harm Israeli football.
“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 injustice that even in these circumstances we find ourselves fighting for our basic right to be part of the game.”
President Infantino underscored the importance of keeping football separate from political agendas and ensuring that it continues to serve as a unifying force promoting peace and hope. He assured that a swift legal assessment of the allegations put forth by the PFA will be carried out, with the findings and subsequent recommendations addressed by the Fifa Council at an extraordinary congress in late July.
“Football should not and should never become a hostage for politics and always remain a vector for peace, a source of hope, a force of good, uniting people rather than dividing,” Infantino said.
“This legal assessment will have to allow for inputs and claims of both member associations. The results of this analysis and the recommendations which will follow from this analysis will subsequently be forwarded to the Fifa Council.”
In addition to the geopolitical tensions, Fifa is also facing a legal threat related to its plans for a 32-team men’s Club World Cup next summer. Players’ union Fifpro and the World Leagues Association have raised concerns about the overcrowding of the football calendar and the potential impact on the well-being of players. Despite these challenges, Infantino defended Fifa’s decision, emphasizing that the revenues generated by the organization benefit 211 countries worldwide.
Speaking at Fifa’s 74th congress Infantino said he hoped Fifpro and the WLA should stop this “futile debate”.
“Even with the new Club World Cup of Fifa with 32 teams and 63 matches every four years, Fifa is organising around 1% of the games of the top clubs in the world,” he said.
“All other matches, 98, 99%, are organised by the different leagues, associations, confederations, by all of you, – and that’s good.
“But here comes the thing – the one or two per cent of matches that Fifa organises is financing football all over the world.”
“The revenues that we generate are not just going to a few clubs in one country. The revenues that we generate are going to 211 countries all over the world.
“There is no other organisation that does that. So I hope these figures – which you can of course check and calculate – should probably stop this futile debate which is really pointless.”
The discussions surrounding the potential suspension of the Israeli Football Association and the legal threats concerning the Club World Cup highlight the complex intersection of football, geopolitics, and legal considerations. As the situation continues to unfold, Fifa remains committed to addressing these challenges with fairness and transparency.
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