It's Time for FIFA to Make a Decision about Israel's Expulsion

  As of today, FIFA has not released a report regarding the expulsion of Israel and the participation of the six Israeli settlement clubs in the West Bank in the IFA league. A year later, and just a few days away from the 75 FIFA’s Congress in Paraguay, still no ruling has been made. Palestine Football Association submitted a proposal to FIFA at its 74th congress in May 2024. It called for Israel to be held accountable for violations of Palestinian sports rights and to be expelled from FIFA for its actions.

 

   There has been no statement from FIFA condemning the killing of athletes and the destruction of sports infrastructure in Gaza since the start of the genocide. All that we saw was a "neutral" approach to the "war" between Israel and Hamas. FIFA failed to sanction six Israeli league teams based in West Bank settlements. This is despite the international community consensus that all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal. Israel is a member of UEFA (Union of European Football Association) whose statutes state that “a Member Association, or its affiliated leagues and clubs, may neither play nor organize matches outside its own territory without the permission of the relevant Member Associations."

 

    Considering the current genocide in Gaza, it seems that no member of 37-FIFA council (including the President and the Vice President) will be willing to take any action on behalf of Gaza or speak out against the genocide. Especially in an environment in which selfishness, self-interest, and corruption pervade and are sweeping throughout the entire system.

 

  One of the most significant functions of sport is to serve humanity as a whole. In the event that sports have stopped performing this function, it means that it has been malfunctioning and has been unable to complete its role. This malfunction can result in sports becoming detached from their original purpose, focusing instead on commercialization, competition, entertainment, personal interests, or corruption. When this happens, sports' positive impact on society, such as promoting unity, equality, human rights, health, and personal growth, may be diminished or lost entirely. Therefore, all of the institutions that govern sports have to make sure their credibility and accountability are checked regularly.

 

   A number of things have been proven as a result of the Gaza genocide, including that moral standards may not have existed in the first place, or they may not be valid anymore, or if moral standards did exist, adhering to them may no longer be of importance or urgency, or they may even be nothing more than mere documents written down in the constitution, the statutes, and the textbooks that college students are required to learn. 

   During Trump's Middle East tour, Infantino will join him, forcing the FIFA Council to meet virtually. The Council, FIFA’s highest decision-making body, will convene on Friday at 4pm CET online instead of in-person next week, on the eve of the FIFA Congress in Asuncion, Paraguay, because of Infantino’s Middle East trip. 

  As Saminra Kunti wrote in an article for Inside World FIFA: It’s the third consecutive time that the Council will meet online. Under Infantino, the Council has largely become a rubber-stamping body. Paid $250,000 a year, members rarely raise their voices. The body’s vice-presidents who are also confederation presidents receive a net annual compensation of $300,000. 

    Infantino has a close relationship with both Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The former hosted the 2022 World Cup and served as home to FIFA president while Saudi Arabia will stage the 2034 World Cup. Considering Infantino's close relationship with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, it is possible that the three countries will be more generous to Trump because of Infantino's close ties with them. It is possible that Trump could have billions more dollars in his pocket thanks to Infantino's support. 

   FIFA's silence in the face of Gaza genocide, and its inaction to sanction six Israeli league teams based in the West Bank settlements demonstrate its complicity in the genocide. Complicity in this sort of act is a feature of the West including its media and institutions.