Could Israel be banned from football competitions by FIFA?
FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee will assess the possible exclusion of Israeli football from competitions organized by the organization. The meeting will be held on Thursday (October 3).
The complaint against Israel was made by the Palestinian Football Federation. Israel’s exclusion from FIFA competitions could be made due to the country’s attacks on Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Palestine.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has spoken out against the conflicts in the Middle East and called for peace to be restored to the region “with immediate effect”.
— The ongoing violence in the region confirms that, above all considerations, we need peace. As we remain deeply shocked by what is happening, and our thoughts are with those who are suffering, we call on all parties to restore peace in the region with immediate effect, the president said.
It is worth noting that FIFA has kept Russia banned from all its competitions since 2022, when the European country invaded Ukraine. The punishment also extended to UEFA, which prevents Russian teams from competing in any continental club competition.
If FIFA decides to punish Israel, the country’s national team and clubs would be banned from competing in the organization’s official competitions.
What is happening between Israel and the countries in the region?
In October 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched an attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people – 815 of whom were civilians. In retaliation, Israel began large-scale attacks on the Palestinian territory, a conflict that has continued ever since.
According to the Palestinian Federation in Brazil, 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in just under a year of conflict, including 19,000 children. The number of women killed in the conflict is 10,000. More than 2 million people have been forced to leave their homes.
The conflict has spread to Lebanon in recent weeks. Clashes near the border between the countries have occurred, resulting in the deaths of 514 Lebanese soldiers, 25 Israelis, 294 Lebanese civilians and 27 Israeli civilians. The conflict escalated after an attack by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, which killed 12 children on September 27.
Since then, Israel has carried out large-scale attacks on Lebanon, even invading the country by land. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 1,974 people have died in Israeli bombings in less than two weeks of conflict. Of these, 127 were children. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes.
In Syria, attacks killed six people and injured twelve others. The bombings targeted a neighborhood in Damascus, the country’s capital, where diplomatic missions from several countries are based.
Israel also carried out attacks on Iranian soil, targeting the death of one of the Hamas leaders. An Iranian general was also killed by the country’s army.
Iran then retaliated against Israel’s attacks on countries in the region by carrying out a bombing raid on the country. The Israeli military confirmed that more than 100 missiles were launched by the Iranians. Official figures state that only one person was killed in the strikes.
The most recent figures for Israelis killed in the war were 1,715 since the start of the conflict in October 2023.
