FIFA will take independent legal advice on a call by the Palestine Football Association to suspend the “Israel” Football Association over the war on Gaza, the world football governing body’s President announced Friday.
Gianni Infantino said FIFA would hold an extraordinary session of its ruling council before July 20 to review the legal analysis and decide on how to proceed.
“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,” he confirmed.
“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.”
The Palestine FA called for the “immediate” suspension of “Israel” from FIFA.
According to FIFA documents, the Palestine FA pointed to “international law violations committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza.”
It emphasized that “all the football infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed, or seriously damaged, including the historic stadium of Al-Yarmuk.”
“FIFA cannot afford to remain indifferent to these violations or the ongoing genocide in Palestine,” its head Jibril Rajoub told Infantino at a FIFA meeting in Bangkok.
“I ask you to stand on the right side of history… If not now, when?,” he said, adding, “The ball is in your court.”
In response, the Israeli football association described the Palestinian bid as a “cynical attempt” to “harm Israeli football.”
“The proposal submitted by the PFA has nothing to do with the IFA and its activity,” IFA chief Shino Moshe Zuares claimed during the FIFA meeting.
On Thursday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) backed Palestine’s proposal to suspend the Israeli occupation entity from FIFA.
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the president of the AFC, expressed his support for the Palestine Football Association’s initiative.
“The AFC is only as strong as its members and when one suffers, all its other members are affected,” he told delegates.
He affirmed that “the AFC stands together with the Palestine FA, and we join them in seeking effective football-related solutions to the grievances raised by the Palestine FA in their proposal.”
“It is our duty to support the Palestine FA for a swift and effective resolution in line with the rules, regulations and statutes of the AFC and FIFA,” Sheikh Salman added.
The proposal, submitted by the Palestine FA to FIFA on March 11, will be deliberated during the football body’s annual meeting after being added to the agenda with the backing of the Algerian, Jordanian, Syrian, and Yemeni federations.
Delegates at the AFC congress observed a minute of silence to honor the victims of the Israeli war on Gaza and watched a video produced by the Palestine FA showcasing the devastation caused by the Israeli occupation forces.
