FIFA will seek independent legal advice before holding an extraordinary council meeting by July 20 to decide on a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international soccer due to the conflict with Hamas.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino detailed the plan at the FIFA congress on Friday (May 17) after representatives from the Palestinian and Israeli football federations spoke before the 211 member associations.
Due to the urgency of the situation, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and will take place before July 20
“FIFA will mandate as of now, independent legal expertise to analyze the three requests (from the Palestinian FA) and ensure the statutes of FIFA are applied in the right way,” Infantino said. “This legal assessment will have to allow for inputs and claims of both member associations. The results and the recommendations … will be forwarded to the FIFA council. Due to the urgency of the situation, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and will take place before July 20 to review the results of the legal assessment and to take the decisions that are appropriate.”
The Palestine Football Association’s proposal to 211 member federations called for “appropriate sanctions, with immediate effect, against Israeli teams,” according to FIFA documents released a month before the congress and council meetings in Bangkok.
The motion highlighted “international law violations committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza,” and cited FIFA’s commitments on human rights and non-discrimination.
The Palestinian FA stated that “all the football infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed, or seriously damaged, including the historic stadium of A-Yarmuk” and noted support for the motion from the federations of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Yemen.On Friday (May 17) at the congress in Bangkok, Palestinian Football Association leader Jibril Rajoub said, “The Palestinian people, including the Palestinian football family, are enduring an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”
Rajoub mentioned he had been threatened due to his sanctions proposal. “The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs has made serious threats to imprison me if I do not withdraw this proposal, but no power in the world can stand in the way of truth,” Rajoub said.
