Israel football association penalised by FIFA for multiple breaches of anti-discrimination rules, ordered to roll out prevention plan
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee said the IFA had failed to take adequate action against persistent racist behaviour by supporters of certain clubs.
FIFA, the world’s football governing body, imposed sanctions on the Israel Football Association (IFA) on Thursday for breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules following an alleged discrimination complaint from the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
FIFA said IFA has committed multiple breaches of its obligations as a FIFA Member Association. The world body said, “Following the proposal made by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) at the 74th FIFA Congress and the subsequent decision of the FIFA Council to mandate the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to investigate the alleged offence of discrimination raised by the PFA, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that the Israel Football Association (IFA) has committed multiple breaches of its obligations as a FIFA Member Association.”
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee said the IFA had failed to take adequate action against persistent racist behaviour by supporters of certain clubs, notably Beitar Jerusalem, and had not responded sufficiently to inflammatory and politicised public statements by football officials and clubs under its jurisdiction.
Read the full statement from FIFA on IFA over breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules:
As part of the sanctions, the IFA was fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,621) and ordered to implement a mandatory prevention plan to combat discrimination, including educational campaigns and monitoring measures. The association must also display anti-discrimination banners at its next three home matches in the next three A-level FIFA competitions.
In a separate decision on Thursday, FIFA cleared Israeli football clubs after being accused by PFA of competing while allegedly based in Palestinian territory.
On the question of Israeli clubs based in settlements in the occupied West Bank, the Council adopted conclusions from FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), which had been asked to examine whether such clubs should be allowed to play in competitions organised by the IFA.
FIFA said no action should be taken, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law. “FIFA should take no action given that, in the context of the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes, the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law,” the governing body said in a statement.
The participation of Israeli settlement clubs has been a recurring source of tension within FIFA for nearly a decade. The PFA has long argued that clubs based in settlements in the West Bank – territory Palestinians seek as part of a future state – should not compete in leagues run by the IFA.
FIFA, the world’s football governing body, imposed sanctions on the Israel Football Association (IFA) on Thursday for breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules following an alleged discrimination complaint from the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
FIFA said IFA has committed multiple breaches of its obligations as a FIFA Member Association. The world body said, “Following the proposal made by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) at the 74th FIFA Congress and the subsequent decision of the FIFA Council to mandate the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to investigate the alleged offence of discrimination raised by the PFA, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that the Israel Football Association (IFA) has committed multiple breaches of its obligations as a FIFA Member Association.”
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee said the IFA had failed to take adequate action against persistent racist behaviour by supporters of certain clubs, notably Beitar Jerusalem, and had not responded sufficiently to inflammatory and politicised public statements by football officials and clubs under its jurisdiction.
Read the full statement from FIFA on IFA over breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules:
As part of the sanctions, the IFA was fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,621) and ordered to implement a mandatory prevention plan to combat discrimination, including educational campaigns and monitoring measures. The association must also display anti-discrimination banners at its next three home matches in the next three A-level FIFA competitions.
In a separate decision on Thursday, FIFA cleared Israeli football clubs after being accused by PFA of competing while allegedly based in Palestinian territory.
On the question of Israeli clubs based in settlements in the occupied West Bank, the Council adopted conclusions from FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), which had been asked to examine whether such clubs should be allowed to play in competitions organised by the IFA.
FIFA said no action should be taken, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law. “FIFA should take no action given that, in the context of the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes, the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law,” the governing body said in a statement.
The participation of Israeli settlement clubs has been a recurring source of tension within FIFA for nearly a decade. The PFA has long argued that clubs based in settlements in the West Bank – territory Palestinians seek as part of a future state – should not compete in leagues run by the IFA.
