Palestinian officials are set to intensify their calls for action against Israel in international soccer due to the conflict with Hamas at the upcoming annual FIFA congress. The Palestine Football Association has put forward a proposal to the 211 member federations, urging for 'appropriate sanctions, with immediate effect, against Israeli teams.' This motion is based on alleged international law violations by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and references FIFA's commitments to human rights and anti-discrimination.
The Palestine FA claims support for the motion from several federations, including those of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Yemen. However, it is unlikely to gain traction as FIFA is not expected to support it, and Israel enjoys global backing, including from UEFA and CONMEBOL.
Despite the conflict with Hamas, Israeli national and club teams have continued to participate in UEFA competitions, albeit playing home games in neutral venues for security reasons. The ongoing dispute between Palestinian and Israeli soccer has been a recurring topic at FIFA congresses in recent years, with previous attempts to sanction Israel yielding no significant progress.
The latest proposal highlights Israel's alleged violation of FIFA statutes by incorporating teams from disputed territories into its national leagues. However, FIFA, under the leadership of Gianni Infantino and his predecessor Sepp Blatter, has not held Israeli soccer accountable for actions taken by the national government.
Notably, the Palestine FA suggests that some football associations may refuse to play against Israel, drawing parallels to previous instances such as Indonesia being stripped of hosting rights for the men's Under-20 World Cup for refusing to host games involving Israel.
As the FIFA congress approaches, the soccer community awaits further developments on this contentious issue that intertwines sports and geopolitics.
Source: AP soccer
