The Israel Football Association (IFA) has responded to accusations of discrimination and a proposed suspension of its team by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
FIFA, world football's governing body, launched an investigation into discrimination allegations against the IFA last week. FIFA leaders made this decision when they ruled against suspending Israel from international play after the PFA proposed a ban on Israel amid the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza earlier this year.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital by IFA head of communications Shlomi Barzell over the weekend, the IFA condemned the PFA for its recent proposal to FIFA.
“Whoever fantasized about the suspension of Israeli football from the international level or sanctions through lies and false accusations, has suffered a defeat,” the statement reads. “Once again, we have acted over time in different channels, in a calculated and proactive manner in the face of the challenge of the Palestinian Association and its leader to distort reality, and today's result leaves no room for doubt.
“We respect the authors of the report presented to the councilors and the decision of the councilors to consider the possibility of transferring two issues to a legal review, provided that there is some factual justification for this. Thanks to the values that represent a glorious democracy and a independent and decisive legal system of the Football Association, we have never violated and will never violate any of the FIFA/UEFA rules,” the statement reads.
The PFA has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Israeli players are seen before the start of the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying play-off semi-final football match between Israel and Iceland at the Szusza Ferenc Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, on March 21, 2024. (Attila KISBENEDEK/AFP)
The PFA's original proposal claimed that at least 92 non-professional Palestinian players had been killed in the war, that football's infrastructure had been destroyed, that its leagues had been suspended and that its national team had to play qualifying matches for the World Cup. World abroad. The Palestinian federation wanted FIFA to adopt appropriate sanctions against Israeli teams, including the national team and clubs.
Katarina Pijetlovic, head of the PFA's legal department, addressed FIFA's decision not to suspend Israel from its positions on Day X on October 3.
“FIFA allowed the Israeli Federation to continue using Palestinian territory [occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem] as its own territory and use football under its umbrella as an instrument of colonial expansion,” he wrote in a post on X. “The decision is purely political. Will we wait two years again, like in 2015-17, for the committee to suggest the obvious and then reject your suggestion again? Why don't they just say it? “Israel has impunity to destroy FIFA member associations and use their colonized territories.”
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Palestinian protesters wave Palestinian flags and some extend their arms during the men's Group D soccer match between Israel and Paraguay during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes in Paris on July 27, 2024. (GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)
Gaza-based football journalist Abubaker Abed previously told Al Jazeera that the Palestinian Federation “acts as a form of resistance” and alleged that more than 50 Palestinian sports facilities had been destroyed.
“The Palestinian people know that this team acts as a form of resistance and is sending a message to the world,” Gaza-Abed said. “More than 50 sports facilities have been reduced to rubble in Gaza, including nine out of 10 stadiums in Gaza. Almost all clubs have been destroyed in this war, while a stadium in Deir el-Balah has become a shelter for thousands of people. displaced people.”
Fifa's disciplinary committee will now be asked to investigate allegations of discrimination. The PFA has specifically accused the IFA of complicity in violations of international law by the Israeli government, discrimination against Arab players and inclusion in its league of clubs located in Palestinian territory.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Commission will be mandated to initiate an investigation into the alleged crime of discrimination raised by the Palestinian Football Association,” FIFA said in a statement. statement. “FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee will be entrusted with the mission of investigating… the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based on the territory of Palestine.”
The PFA suspension proposal was enough to convince FIFA to seek independent legal advice and hold a historic council meeting to make a decision on whether to suspend Israel from international football due to the conflict with Hamas, the president of the PFA said. FIFA, Gianni Infantino, at the FIFA congress. In May.
However, at the moment it does not appear that Israel will be subject to a suspension. A suspension may have severely affected his hopes of competing in the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in North America. The final will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York City.
In the past, countries have been banned from competing in the World Cup due to the actions of their governments and national team administrations.
Germany and Japan were excluded from the 1950 World Cup after the end of World War II. South Africa was banned from 1966 to 1992 for violating FIFA's anti-discrimination charter due to apartheid. Mexico was banned for two years after using overage players in qualifying for the 1989 World Youth Championship.
Israel only qualified for the World Cup once, in 1970, and failed to advance beyond the group stage. Israel won a championship at the 1964 Asian Games. However, they were moved from the Asian Football Federation to the European Confederation. UEFA in 1994, where it was difficult for them to compete. The team suffered its heaviest defeat in its history in a 7-1 drubbing by Germany in 2002.
Israel is currently in the middle of the UEFA Nations League schedule. They will play France on Thursday after starting 0-2.
Meanwhile, Palestine is currently in the middle of the group stage of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup. They will play Iraq on Thursday after starting the group stage with a loss and a draw. Palestine has never qualified for the World Cup.
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Fans open Palestinian flags during the men's Group D match between Mali and Israel during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, on July 24, 2024. (Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Monday marks one year since the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,195 people, including 815 civilians, and resulted in the taking of 251 people hostage. At least 31 Americans were killed during the attacks and 13 others were missing.
On August 15, it was reported that at least 40,005 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza since the war began. Gaza's Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but says at least 5,956 women and at least 10,627 children have been killed.
A year after the attack, Hamas marked the anniversary by firing a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv on Monday.
Israel's war in Gaza continues even as Israel is now waging a new war against Hezbollah, intensifying its bombing campaign in Lebanon over the past three weeks. Last week, Israel faced additional attacks from Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah, in the form of missile strikes.
The attacks forced nearly 10 million people to seek safety in bomb shelters on Tuesday, and even forced a pair of Israeli women's basketball teams to abandon their game and flee to shelters, according to the Jerusalem Times.
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