The FIFA Congress in Manama, Bahrain on Thursday accepted a proposal by the organization's president, Gianni Infantino, to refer to the FIFA Council a controversial Palestinian proposal to sanction Israel over six soccer teams based in West Bank settlements.
Infantino, who has headed world soccer's governing body since 2016, received the backing of nearly three quarters of the delegates from FIFA's member federations.
On Tuesday, the FIFA Council decided to remove a draft resolution on soccer teams from Israeli settlements from the agenda of the Congress. Although the Palestinian delegation insisted on a vote on its original motion, a majority of the delegates sided with Infantino, who promised that he will table the matter at the next Council meeting in October.
The Palestinians have been pressuring FIFA and its member federations for years to take action against Israel over the Israel teams located in West Bank towns. The Palestinians argue that these teams violate Article 72.2 of the FIFA Statutes which states that “Member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter’s approval.” The six teams in question are located in Ma’aleh Adumim, Ariel, Kiryat Arba, Givat Ze’ev, Oranit and the Jordan Valley. All play in low-level leagues.
A meeting of the committee set up to address the issue of the settlement teams, headed by South African anti-apartheid activist Tokyo Sexwale, was held in Manama on Tuesday. Israel Football Association Chairman Ofer Eini and his Palestinian counterpart, Jibril Rajoub, also attended the meeting. The sides did not reach an agreement by the end of the meeting, and the issue was passed for discussion in the wide forum of the FIFA Council, comprised of representatives from dozens of countries, which decided to remove it from the agenda.
The decision is a considerable blow for Rajoub, who has been working to have the draft resolution put for the FIFA Congress vote for months.
On Tuesday, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder welcomed the decision to postpone the issue and said it was not up to FIFA to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “Politics, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have no place in sport – these are issues meant for the negotiating table, not the football field. FIFA’s position as the most prominent regulatory body in the sporting world, one which bridges divides between countries and peoples, must be safeguarded. By keeping politics out of football, FIFA’s central role in the effort to promote respect among nations through sports will be secured," Lauder said.
