FIFA president Gianni Infantino has insisted that football must continue to send a message of “peace and unity,” as pressure mounts to suspend Israel from international competition.
The Palestinian Football Association, backed by Amnesty International, has urged FIFA and UEFA to bar Israel’s federation from club and national tournaments. They argue that the inclusion of teams based in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in Israeli leagues violates FIFA regulations.
Their calls follow a recent United Nations commission of inquiry report, which concluded that Israel has committed genocide in its attacks on Gaza.
Speaking to FIFA’s ruling council on Thursday, Infantino said that while football “cannot solve geopolitical problems, it can and must promote the game globally by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.”
“At FIFA, we are committed to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world,” he added. “Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.
Sources told the PA news agency last week that UEFA was putting plans in place to schedule an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee to discuss Israel’s suspension, but no meeting has been scheduled yet. Israel has been a member of UEFA since 1994.
Relations between FIFA, domestic leagues and unions remain strained, with a FIFA media release saying the FIFA Council resolved to be “strong and united” against “public attacks…of certain organisations” which “poses a threat” to the global football pyramid.
FIFA faces a legal challenge in the Belgian courts from the Professional Footballers’ Association, alongside the French player union and the European division of world player union FIFPRO, as well as a legal complaint from FIFPRO Europe and the European Leagues group to the European Commission.
Both actions are in relation to what leagues and unions see as a lack of consultation from FIFA over the international calendar, which they argue has had a negative impact on player welfare. FIFA sees its role as being to govern in the best interests of the game globally.
The media release added: “The motivations of these organisations are outside of the established pyramid model that supports club and national team football at global, continental and national level. The FIFA Council acknowledged that this poses a threat to the existing global football pyramid structure and reiterated the need to be strong and united in the face of these attacks.”
Infantino said: “FIFA will continue to invite all stakeholders interested in a meaningful dialogue to protect players, to find the right balance between club and national team football at global level, and to improve football for the future.”
FIFA’s relationship with the European Club Association appears strong, illustrated by the presence of its chairman, Nasser Al Khelaifi, at Thursday’s Council meeting in Zurich.
