- "Is FIFA going to drive Israel out?" he asked, and after the highest football body had communicated its decision to study the request of the Palestinian Football Federation. Knowing the nature of FIFA, even more so when you see how lukewarm it is behaving around the petition, the two parties involved and the attitude of governments and international institutions, such as the NOB International Olympic Committee, it seems impossible to sanction Israel. But if you have the will to look...
Or something similar to the Will, as it has been a few months since FIFA announced that it will focus on the issue. Let's go back in time:
As reported on 30 August in social network X, Israel has postponed its decision on the status it should have until October.
Previously, on 18 July, FIFA announced that it would address the issue before 31 August, once both parties (Palestine and Israel) had concluded their arguments.
Previously, at the meeting on 17 May, FIFA announced that it would address the issue before 20 July, once the legal evaluation committee was set up. Minutes earlier, the President of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, had called for the Israeli Federation to condemn and disqualify its representatives for the assault on Gaza. The petition was supported by the Asian Confederation.
Previously, on 18 April, the Palestinian Federation announced at its meeting on 17 May that it would propose measures against Israel and tabled a motion at FIFA.
So it will be at least six or seven months before FIFA becomes aware and decides on the issue, without taking into account other demands that Palestine has already made in the past, such as the Israeli football teams in the West Bank.
Yes, it is true that since its inception FIFA has punished several countries, but the conflicts/wars – and those involved – that are being carried out to drive them are not the same.
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Russia began the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Four days later, FIFA and UEFA expelled Russian teams from all competitions, as well as the team, following the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "We do not want to punish athletes for the decisions taken by their government (...) but as long as the athletes of Russia and Belarus continue to compete internationally, the Ukrainians cannot do so for the assault on their country," the IOC said.
In the 1990s, FIFA and UEFA condemned Yugoslavia – following the measures taken by the UN – in the context of the Balkan war. Yugoslavia was removed from the 1992 Euro Cup. Instead, Denmark came in -- and interestingly, this team won the championship.
In 1962, FIFA suspended South Africa for its policy of apartheid. A year later, he accepted it again, but when South Africa announced that it would present a team composed exclusively of white players for the 1966 World Cup and a team composed of blacks for the 1970 World Cup, the sanction was extended to him. Two years later he was expelled from FIFA for the Soweto massacre, in which a police officer died.
Returning to the Palestinian-Israel case, it is almost certain that FIFA will not punish Israel, but at least the request of the Palestinian Federation and other initiatives can serve to bring the shame of so many to the surface.