FIFA Set to Decide on Israel Suspension 

* Italy, France and Belgium could be affected 

FIFA Football

 ZURICH – World Soccer governing body – Fifa Council is set to take a decision on Thursday – whether or not to suspend Israel from international competitions.

The Palestinian Football Association – PFA first tabled the proposal to suspend Israel in April raising the same at the Fifa Congress the following month.

The PFA cited breaches of the global football governing body’s rules.

Israel rejected the allegations contained in the proposal.

The PFA’s initial proposal came amid Israel’s bombing of the Palestinian territory of Gaza and Thursday’s anticipated decision from the Fifa Council comes at a time when the situation in the Middle East has escalated further -drawing Iran and Lebanon into the conflict.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said at Congress last May that an independent legal assessment of the PFA’s proposal would need to take place, with Fifa Council reviewing the assessment in July.

The timeframe for a decision was further extended in July, and on August 31 Fifa said it had received the assessment and that a decision would be taken at its Council meeting in October. Thursday’s meeting is scheduled to start at 15:00 hours EAT.

Speaking at the Congress in May, PFA president Jibril Rajoub said: “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?”

“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?”

His Israeli counterpart, Moshe Zuares, said at the same event that Israeli lives; “had become hell” since the attacks by Hamas militants on October 7 last year.

“It is injustice that even in these circumstances we find ourselves fighting for our basic rights to be part of the game,” he said.


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