August 29 – Israeli NGOs and lawyers have written to FIFA to demand Israel not be suspended from the global game, asking the governing body give “a red card to this relentless Palestinian campaign of hate against Israel”.
In a letter addressed to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino – and cc’d to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and English FA president Debbie Hewitt – the International Legal Forum, National Jewish Advocacy Center and Project Max claim that “the hateful, racist and illegal campaign being waged by the ‘Palestine Football Association’ (PFA) to expel Israel from FIFA” lacks “any legal basis or merit”.
The letter, which also takes aim at Palestinian FA (PFA) president Jibril Rajoub, reads: “The fact of the matter is, there is no legal basis upon which to kick out, expel, or suspend Israel from FIFA. The Israel Football Association (IFA) is not in breach of any FIFA rules, regulations or statutes, they are not impeding or discriminating against Palestinian football players from participating in the sport and there are no security considerations to other teams presented by Israel’s ongoing participation in FIFA.”
However, all three organisations have Zionist connections.
The International Legal Forum lists amongst their achievements: “Succeeded in removing UNRWA from a leading donor advisory platform, over their role in supporting Hamas” and the managing director of Projext Max Eric Rubin endorsed tweets that claim the people of Israel have a God-given right over their land. The director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center Mark Goldfeder previously served as a counsel of Donald Trump.
The pressure groups are seeking to influence FIFA ahead of an imminent council decision over the PFA’s motion to suspend and ban Israel from the global game.
At the recent FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May, Infantino said an independent panel of legal experts would assess the Palestine – Israel conflict, but the assessment and decision were postponed allowing Israel to compete in the Olympic football tournament.
FIFA claimed that both parties had asked for more time.
Contact the writer of this story at samindra.kunti@insideworldfootball.com