Palestinian Bid to Ban Israel From Soccer Is Put Off – The New York Times

Posted By on July 19, 2024

Soccers global governing body, FIFA, said it had reached an agreement on Thursday with the federations representing Israelis and Palestinians that put off a decision on a potentially explosive dispute until after the Olympics.

The dispute, prompted by a Palestinian bid to temporarily suspend Israel from the sport over its actions in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, spares FIFA from a ruling that could have led to Israels team being thrown out of the mens tournament at the Games less than a week before the competition is to begin.

The issue, a long-simmering source of controversy for FIFA and the soccer neighbors, was rekindled by the raging war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including of soccer players and other athletes.

FIFA had already put off a decision once, but boxed itself in at its annual congress in May when it said it would make an announcement on the Palestinian complaint before the start of the Olympics, where the mens soccer tournament opens next Wednesday.

It had already bought itself time by pushing the decision to the FIFA Council, its top executive body, after Palestinian soccer officials made an impassioned appeal for action to be taken by FIFAs entire membership at its annual congress in Bangkok.

The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, told delegates that he would seek independent legal expertise to see if Israel was in breach of its statutes, the claim made by Palestinian officials, who called for Israels suspension citing international law violations committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and cited violations of FIFAs human rights and discrimination statutes.

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Palestinian Bid to Ban Israel From Soccer Is Put Off - The New York Times

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