FIFA Reportedly Will Not Suspend Israeli Teams Over Gaza War

The world football governing body, FIFA, reportedly has no intention of suspending Israeli teams from its tournaments over the war in Gaza.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) submitted a proposal to suspend Israel in May, citing the armed conflict, raging since last October. FIFA has postponed its decision on the matter twice, most recently in late August, when the organization said its Zurich-based executive council would make an assessment in early October.

The Israeli sports website ONE claimed on Monday that no sanctions would be imposed on the Israel Football Association (IFA) or the national team. The article did not specify the source of the insider information.

The outlet said Israel was lucky that the request was handled by the 37-strong FIFA Council – and that if it were taken up by the FIFA Congress, the supreme legislative body of the association, which includes more than 200 members and gathers annually, “we would have no chance against the global majority, which is currently against Israel.”

Supporters of the Palestinian proposal have argued that the Israeli military campaign in Gaza violates FIFA’s stated goals, and warrants punishment by the organization. The death toll in the conflict, which was triggered by a deadly incursion into Israel by the militant group Hamas on October 7 last year, has surpassed 41,000 and may be significantly higher, according to aid groups and observers.

Commenting on the ONE report on Tuesday, Russian lawmaker Dmitry Svishchev said that if true, it simply highlights that international sports follow double standards, as Moscow knows from its own experience.

“Russia, it appears, has no rights. Any action by our nation is treated as forbidden, leading to disqualification of athletes. If Israel plays in FIFA international tournaments, why can’t Russians be allowed?” he said in comments to the sports channel Match TV.

FIFA suspended Russian teams from participating in its tournaments in February 2022, responding to the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.