World football’s governing body, FIFA, did not reach a verdict on Thursday regarding the Palestinian request to suspend Israel. Instead, it has launched committee investigations to inform a future decision.
During FIFA’s congress in Bangkok in May, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) called for the suspension of its Israeli counterpart and for Israeli teams to be banned from FIFA events. Initially, FIFA planned to hold an extraordinary session of its ruling council before July 20 to review an independent legal analysis and decide how to proceed. However, this deadline was extended to allow legal experts more time to complete their report.
At the organization’s headquarters in Zurich on Thursday, the FIFA council adopted the recommendations and conclusions from the legal analysis. They decided that the disciplinary committee would investigate the alleged offense of discrimination raised by the PFA. Additionally, the FIFA governance, audit, and compliance committee will investigate the participation of Israeli football teams allegedly based in Palestinian territories in Israeli competitions and subsequently advise the FIFA Council.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated, “The FIFA Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter and, based on a thorough assessment, we have followed the advice of the independent experts.” He emphasized the ongoing violence in the region, expressing the need for peace and urging all parties to restore tranquility immediately, stating that their thoughts are with those who are suffering
