Formation of an Independent Committee in FIFA to Review Palestinian Demands for Israel's Exclusion

The president of FIFA, the global football federation, announced the formation of an independent committee to examine the Palestinian Football Association's request to exclude Israel from competitions due to the Gaza war. Gianni Infantino stated on Friday, May 17, at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, that a committee of experts will be appointed to provide recommendations to the FIFA Council, with decisions to be published within two months. Infantino expressed his shock at the events that occurred on October 7, 2023, in Israel, and acknowledged the situation in Gaza, but emphasized that he does not wish to create division. The FIFA Council believes that football should be a unifying force, not a party. Shino Zohar, president of the Israeli Football Association, stated at the FIFA meeting that the Palestinian Football Association is trying to harm Israeli football, and given that no football matches have been held in Israel for months due to the war, it is unfair to make such a request. Zohar added, 'We lost our coaches and players in the horrific attack on October 7... Our football fans were taken hostage, Israelis were slaughtered, and our lives have turned into hell... I have been forced to come here and fight for the basic right of my country's football. There is no greater disgrace than this (the deprivation of Israel's right to play football).' Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association, who has previously held senior political positions in the Palestinian Authority, stated at the FIFA meeting that Israeli football should be isolated and banned due to 'violations of FIFA laws.' Rajoub claimed that Israel has established football clubs in the occupied territories and that the Israeli foreign minister threatened him with arrest. Rajoub, who has been working for years to exclude Israeli football from international sports, has intensified these efforts since the start of the Gaza war. He stated that the genocide of Palestinians should not be met with indifference from FIFA. The war between the Israeli army and the extremist group Hamas in Gaza began following a Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7 last year, which killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 253 to Gaza, and has continued for over seven and a half months. Israeli media considered the rejection of the Palestinian Football Association's proposal to exclude Israeli football, which was reached by consensus of the FIFA Council, a 'victory.' Zohar told Wall News that FIFA officials understood that the Palestinian request was inappropriate and unanimously rejected it. The Asian Confederation's vote to expel Israel has no effect on Israel. The Israeli football team, like other sports teams in the country, has been competing in European competitions for about six decades, while the Palestinian Football Federation is part of the Asian Confederation.