FIFA's failure to act against Israel reveals moral, political corruption

By Leyla Hamed

Earlier this month, FIFA was supposed to hold a meeting to decide on whether Israel should be banned from international football competitions for its war crimes and violations of the organisation's rules and regulations.

But in true cowardly fashion, it postponed the decision until after the summer Olympics, shielding the state from accountability.

In April, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) called for FIFA to sanction and exclude the Israel Football Association from participating at FIFA sporting events on the grounds of human rights and international law violations.

Instead the football governing body decided to delay its July ruling, despite the federation's precedent of barring Russia within weeks of its invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement, FIFA said that "following requests for extension from both parties to submit their respective positions, duly granted by FIFA, more time is needed to conclude this process with due care."

It will now take up the matter at the end of August.

But, according to people close to the situation, the report from FIFA's legal experts was already delivered to the body a week before this announcement.

In any case, this decision has not been surprising.

The PFA first publicly presented its proposal to suspend Israel at the FIFA Congress held in May in Bangkok, with FIFA ordering an urgent legal evaluation.

Then instead of allowing its 211 member associations to vote independently as is the usual procedure, FIFA passed the decision to its council. This is composed of 37 member associations trusted by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, an Italian-Swiss football governor, who also happens to be a member of the International Olympic Committee, and is known to be sympathetic to Israel.

Hate speech

FIFA's decision to postpone any ruling now clears the way for Israel's national football team to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic games.

The horror here is that football players in Israel's national squad are all also IDF soldiers. Army service is mandatory for 18-year-olds, and those who have managed to dodge being conscripted aren't allowed to join the national football team.

Many of the players who make up the Israeli football team are still also serving in the military, an occupation army that is currently engaged in the most serious violation of international humanitarian laws in Gaza.

Some fans say these footballers are "not to blame for their government decisions," but that's not really the case. Many regularly promote the Israeli army and incite genocide through their social media openly.

For example, in November, Shon Weissman, a former Israeli Air Force member and also a football player for the Italian club Salernitana as well as the Israeli national team, posted on X: "What is the logical reason why 200 tons of bombs have not already been dropped on Gaza?" and answered, "Destroy. Tighten. Crush. To God's revenge"

Meanwhile his teammate, Tomer Yosefi from Hapoel Haifa FC in the Israeli league, said: "This time we will erase Gaza permanently."

This bloodlust has not just been expressed by the men's football team. Some players from the Israeli women's national football team have also been found regularly posting videos with images of themselves in football shirts before switching to their Israeli army uniforms.

These examples of incitement and glorification of Israeli soldiers by Israeli players have gone unpunished by Israel's Football Association (IFA). This is despite the fact that the IFA is beholden to FIFA's disciplinary code, article 53 of which prohibits inciting hatred and violence.

Yet athletes from Russia and Belarus have been forced to follow rules as "neutral athletes," taking part in competitions without flags, emblems or anthems.

Additionally, Article 4(1) of the FIFA statute strictly prohibits "discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin… is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion."

The IFA has failed to respect this, as seen through the conduct of an Israeli professional football club from Jerusalem, Beitar Jerusalem FC, also a member of the Israeli Premier League.

Its fans proudly sing about how they are "the most racist team" in Israel and often scream epithets, such as "terrorist," at the Arabs who play for opposing squads.

Israeli football clubs also openly block Arabs from joining its ranks, and harsh violence against Arab players is addressed only with disciplinary measures.

Using sport to legitimise occupation

Even before October 7, FIFA had obvious grounds to expel the Israeli Football Association.

Article 72 (1) of FIFA regulations states, "member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter's approval."

FIFA has been aware that the IFA has been in open breach of FIFA Statutes since at least 2013, for permitting Israeli teams to play matches in illegal settlements under international law. At least five illegal settlement clubs are located on occupied Palestinian land: Kyriat Arba, Givat Zeev, Ariel, Bikat Hayarden and Ma'aleh Adumim.

Infantino, the head of the world's governing body of football, has completely ignored this issue, though it is crucial to regional politics and sport.

FIFA has a responsibility to ensure that its activities don't benefit from serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. By sponsoring games on land that has been unlawfully seized from Palestinians and hosting matches under conditions of discrimination, FIFA is violating its own principles.

Gaza genocide

In Gaza, Israel's human rights violations are reaching a new level of egregiousness. Since October 7, more than 41,000 Palestinians, including 16,000 children have been killed by Israeli forces. More than 89,000 people have been injured while at least 10,000 are still buried under the rubble.

Palestinian sports have not been spared in Israel's ongoing aggression.

In the past nine months, all 41 of Gaza's football stadiums have been either destroyed, partially damaged or turned into refugee camps, detention camps or mass graves. In December 2023, footage emerged showing Israeli soldiers turning Yarmouk stadium into a concentration camp where dozens of men, women and children were stripped down to their underwear and blindfolded, while armed soldiers and tanks encircled the field.

According to the PFA approximately 400 of their players have been killed since October 7, including 243 football players, 65 of them children.

These include Nazir al-Nashnash, a 20-year-old university student who played for Bureij Services Football club and Hani Al-Masdar, former footballer and coach of the Palestinian Olympic football team.

Remember South Africa? The apartheid system was so obvious, they were hit with a 30-year ban by FIFA, which played an important role in dismantling the system. A precedent was established then. Just as FIFA responded with a quick ban on Russia just four days after its invasion of Ukraine.

FIFA is under mounting pressure over its unwillingness to finally take a decision that is already too late. How does it explain its inconsistency and selective morals when it comes to banning Israel?

The author: Leyla Hamed is a Spanish-born and originally Moroccan football journalist and sports law expert based in the United Kingdom. She is currently working as an editor, writer and talker for The Athletic, covering the English Premier League.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT Afrika.

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