Since the start of the war on Gaza, Israel has killed 166 athletes, including 99 Palestinian footballers, while causing an unprecedented level of destruction to civilian buildings and facilities.
The Palestinian Football Association has requested that FIFA take a stance on the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza and ongoing violations of Palestinians’ rights during the upcoming Congress, scheduled to take place on May 17 in Thailand.
The PFA announced on Tuesday that it submitted a proposal, supported by six member associations, demanding that FIFA take “immediate and appropriate sanctions against Israeli teams” in response to the violations of Palestinians’ rights.
It also called on the global football body to address the violations of FIFA regulations by the Israeli Football Association for enabling Israeli teams to play and operate on illegal settlements established on Palestinian lands.
“The Palestinian proposal draws attention to the serious violations of FIFA regulations committed by the Israeli Football Association, whether through explicit violations of FIFA laws, or silent complicity with the occupation’s violations,” PFA added.
PFA noted that the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza killed at least 99 Palestinian footballers out of 166 athletes while causing an unprecedented level of destruction to civilian buildings and facilities.
Last week, Israel killed Palestinian football striker Mohammed Barakat in an airstrike in his hometown of Khan Younis.
The athletes are among the 31,923 Palestinians killed since the beginning of Israel’s deadly war on Gaza.
“The Israeli Football Association is complicit in the Israeli government’s violations against Palestinian football, through its provision of moral support for the actions of the occupation government, its adoption of a position of justification towards the violations of this occupation,” PFA said.
The Palestinian entity pressed the FIFA Congress “to take effective steps” by applying the laws and regulations of the sporting bodies to address the Israeli violations against Palestinians “without further delay.”
Also on Tuesday, Israel arrested Yasser Radwan, a member of the PFA’s Executive Office, and his sons during the raid on the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Radwan and his sons were taken to an undisclosed location.
PFA also recorded violations against its athletes in the West Bank, where Israeli occupation forces arrested eight of its players. Since the start of the war, Israel has destroyed 28 sports facilities, including 22 in Gaza and six in the West Bank, according to PFA.
The facilities in Gaza include the iconic Yarmouk Stadium, one of the oldest in Palestine.
In December, the occupation forces turned the stadium into a detention centre where dozens of Palestinians were rounded up and humiliated.
Palestinian footballers often struggle to find locations to play matches due to the destruction of facilities across Palestinian lands by Israeli forces.
Palestinian players also struggle to meet for practice as they would require Israeli permits to pass through Israeli checkpoints. In 2019, Israel cancelled the FIFA Palestine Cup by denying Gazan players travel permits.
The Israeli occupation’s restrictions on Palestinian players are a violation of the Olympic Charter, which states that “the practice of sport is a human right.”
“Every individual must have access to the practice of sport, without discrimination of any kind in respect of internationally recognised human rights within the remit of the Olympic Movement,” the charter says.
Meanwhile, in January, more than 23,560 people signed an online petition urging FIFA to ban Israel’s membership from the global sporting body in response to the occupation forces’ killings of Palestinian footballers and destruction of sports facilities in Gaza.
European bottom-up movement, DiEM25 launched a similar petition during the same month calling for Israel’s suspension from global sports “until it fully complies with international law and sports regulations.”
The petitions echo previous calls by Palestinians to suspend Israel’s membership in global sporting organisations, describing the absence of action as “a green light for Israel to continue its genocide against Palestinians.”
On December 6, 2023, the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement called for pressuring FIFA until it respects Palestinians’ rights, accusing the organisation of ignoring such calls “for years.”
BDS has listed a wide range of violations committed by the Israeli Football Association, including playing matches in illegal settlements.
“There are no excuses for international forums, sporting and non-sporting, not to expel Israel. The failure of these forums to hold Israel accountable for its crimes reveals more than before the extent of the dominance of the Western colonial powers,” BDS said at the time.
