Motion rejected

No vote on the expulsion of Israel from FIFA

Israel's national soccer team(Bild: APA/AFP/Daniel MIHAILESCU)

The congress of soccer's world governing body did not vote on the expulsion of the Israeli association on Friday. FIFA did not allow a motion by the Palestinian association to be put to a vote by the assembly of the 211 member associations. This was preceded by emotional speeches from both sides on the Gaza war at the conference center in Bangkok. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the commissioning of an expert opinion from independent legal advisors.

There will also be an extraordinary meeting of the FIFA Council before July 20. "The Council has reiterated that soccer must never be held hostage to politics," said Infantino. "A force that unites people." The head of the world governing body emphasized that the Palestinian association's application fell within the Council's remit. "During the Council meeting on Wednesday, all Council members decided to condemn the acts of violence," said Infantino.

The Council has reiterated that soccer must never be held hostage to politics.

Gianni Infantino

The chairman of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), Jibril Radzhub, directed sharp accusations at Israel, justifying the motion essentially with violations of the FIFA statutes, which stipulate the observance of human rights. The president of the Israeli association, Moshe Zuares, clearly rejected the accusations. The motion had nothing to do with soccer's values of separating soccer from politics.

"I only want one thing"
"I pray for the mothers who have lost their children. I pray for the children who have lost their parents. I pray for all those who are suffering the unimaginable. I pray for them all," Infantino said. "Like all of them, I only want one thing: peace." The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7. They killed 1,200 people, took 250 others hostage and abducted them to the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 35,000 Palestinians were killed in the ensuing war, although this figure, which is almost impossible to verify independently, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. The high number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian catastrophe for the Palestinian civilian population have triggered sharp international criticism of Israel's actions.

Show of hands to signal racism incident
However, the Israel-Palestine issue was just one of many that were discussed in Bangkok on Friday. A five-point campaign to combat racism was also presented. One of these is a new hand signal - the flat hands are crossed at the wrists - with which players can report racist incidents to the referee. "We must stand up and fight racism - and defeat it together," said Infantino. "We can no longer accept what happens on the pitches, what happens in the stands."

All FIFA member associations should include racism as a mandatory offense in their disciplinary codes. In addition, soccer should work to ensure that racism is recognized and prosecuted as a criminal offence in every country, according to the campaign. Educational initiatives should be developed with schools and governments and a new committee with former players should be created to monitor the implementation of these measures.

The expected double awarding of the men's World Cup tournaments in 2030 to six nations on three continents and in 2034 to Saudi Arabia was also pushed forward in Bangkok. The date for the award is December 11, 2024, and the Congress has now approved the necessary amendment to the statutes, which will allow the award of two World Championships on the same day by the General Assembly, should the Council so decide. The vote will take place shortly before Christmas at an online congress.

After the scandal-ridden awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, FIFA had actually abolished these double awards. This reform following the major crisis at the world governing body almost ten years ago has now been reversed. Confirmation of the hosts for 2030 and 2034 is now just a formality, with only one bid for each: in six years' time, the tournament will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one match each in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Saudi Arabia has been chosen as the host for 2034.

"Happy" in Switzerland
FIFA also created the formal conditions in Bangkok for a theoretical departure from its headquarters in Zurich. An amendment to the statutes stipulates that the headquarters will remain in Zurich until the Congress makes a decision on the headquarters. There has never been such a restriction before. FIFA has been based in Zurich since 1932. When asked, the world governing body emphasized that FIFA is "happy" in Switzerland.