September 26 – The Palestine FA (PFA) has written letters to members of the FIFA Council and the presidents of UEFA’s member associations regarding Israel’s war on Gaza, saying that “football cannot remain neutral while genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, racially discriminatory practices, and occupation continue, especially when the sport itself is being used as a tool of oppression.”

The FIFA Council meets October 2 while UEFA also has a member associations meeting in October. The PFA calls for concrete action against the Israeli FA from the two groups and for zero tolerance for racism, apartheid, incitement, and complicity.

“The statutes of FIFA, the principles of international human rights, and the precedentswithin football’s own history demand action. Silence or delay is no longer acceptable,” says the letter. It is an opinion widely shared amongst the world’s football associations, but FIFA for more than 10 years has been ignoring the Palestinian complaints and under president Gianni Infantino’s current regime have repeatedly refused to address the issues, refusing to allow a membership vote on Israel’s status despite multiple calls for action.

The PFA letter, signed by its president Lt General Jibril Rajoub, says that “there exists nojustified reason to shield Israel FA from accountability. Football in Palestine is taking its lastbreaths.”

Within the seven page letter, reference is made to the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit acts of genocide.

Reference is also made to the deliberate destruction of religious, cultural and education sites. In terms of football, 289 sports facilities (stadiums, gyms, club houses etc.) havebeen destroyed or severely damaged by Israeli forces, including the PFA’s headquarters inGaza. Of those, 269 are in Gaza, 20 in the West Bank. About half of them served football directly.

The PFA also references the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that found that Israel’soccupation and settlement of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is illegal andamounts to annexation.

“In relation to entities such as FIFA, the ICJ explicitly noted that international organizations are under a duty not to recognize as legal or render aid or assistance for thesituation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel in the OPT. Allowing the inclusion of illegal settlement clubs into Israeli leagues amounts to such aid or assistance. Evidence shows that multiple clubs located in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territoryare incorporated into IFA’s national league, and they participate in, and host IFA competitions,” says the letter.

The PFA points to clubs, players and fans who are using football to promote the military action in Gaza, and “raises grave concerns of complicity or endorsement of genocide.”

All of this has meant there have been multiple breaches of the FIFA statutes that Infantino and his executive have gone to great lengths to overlook and postpone any form of judgement. The escalating feeling globally is that if FIFA wants to be truly respected and trusted as a world leader, rather than be viewed as the corrupt organisation it was seen as in 2015 at the height of the FifaGate scandals, it must take action.

“Both historically and in recent times, FIFA has taken exclusionary measures when a member association’s country committed serious violations of international law as described above. The precedents demonstrate that when the values recognised by the international community as essential for the global peace and justice are under threat,football cannot choose to stand by and remain neutral,” concludes the PFA letter.

The question now is on which side of history is FIFA and its president going to stand?

Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1758894254labto1758894254ofdlr1758894254owedi1758894254sni@n1758894254osloh1758894254cin.l1758894254uap1758894254