At the upcoming FIFA congress, Palestinian officials are expected to push for action against Israel in international soccer due to the conflict with Hamas. The proposal calls for immediate sanctions against Israeli teams, citing violations of international law in Palestine, particularly in Gaza. The Palestine Football Association claims support for the motion from several federations, including those of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Yemen. Despite this call to punish Israel, it is unlikely to be supported by FIFA and may not make progress due to global backing that Israel can expect, including from UEFA.
The Palestinian soccer association is drawing parallels with Russia, which was banned from international competitions by FIFA and UEFA during the military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The move to exclude Russia was supported by FIFA after several UEFA members refused to play against Russian opponents. Meanwhile, Israeli national and club teams have continued to participate in UEFA competitions since the conflict with Hamas, with home games held in neutral countries for security reasons. The ongoing dispute between Palestinians and Israelis in soccer has been on the FIFA agenda since 2013, but little progress has been made.
The proposal to sanction Israel in soccer highlights the issue of Israeli teams incorporating disputed territory in the West Bank into their national leagues, which is seen as a violation of FIFA statutes. Palestinian soccer leader Jibril Rajoub has previously urged FIFA to take action against Israel for this reason, but the governing body has not held Israeli soccer responsible for actions by the national government, including security policies that have restricted travel for Palestinian players. Despite previous attempts to address the conflict through FIFA, no significant progress has been made in resolving the ongoing dispute.
Israel is set to participate in the men’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics this year, drawing to play against Mali, Paraguay, and another Asian team. The Palestine FA’s proposal to FIFA suggests that some football associations may refuse to play against Israel, echoing previous instances where Indonesia was stripped of hosting rights for the men’s Under-20 World Cup for refusing to host games against Israel. FIFA compensated Indonesia with hosting rights for the men’s Under-17 World Cup. The upcoming FIFA congress will provide a platform for discussions on this issue, but it remains to be seen whether any concrete action will be taken against Israel in international soccer.
