Palestine Football Association urges sanctions on 'Israel' over Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Mar 2024 05:35

The PFA emphasizes that all the football infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed or seriously damaged by Israeli occupation forces.

Palestinians gather at al-Yarmouk Stadium to connect to the network and use the internet in the Gaza Strip, on January 22, 2024. (Photo by Dawoud Abo Alkas / ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP)

The Palestine Football Association (PFA) has called on football's international governing body, FIFA, to sanction Israeli teams over the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

The PFA asked for its proposal, which it said six other member nations had endorsed, to be on the agenda at FIFA's upcoming congress in May.

The Israeli occupation entity's football association on Wednesday responded to the petition by claiming it had "always followed FIFA regulations and always will."

The PFA's statement, released on Tuesday, pointed out that "the loss of innocent lives, including no less than 99 footballers" and the "destruction of residential units... are clear violations of international laws."

"All the football infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed or seriously damaged," the statement highlighted.

The PFA pointed to several specific events, including a case in which Israeli media footage showed scores of stripped Palestinians, including children, detained in Gaza City's al-Yarmouk stadium in December 2023.

Paradoxically, FIFA has taken action against members over the actions of their governments before, banning Russian teams from international competition following the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

Europe's governing body UEFA, of which "Israel" is a member, also banned Russian clubs from its tournaments.

In clear double standards, the two sporting bodies, among others, continue to turn a blind eye to daily Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, contradicting their own rules.

The PFA's proposal echoes a similar one by Iran's football federation, which declared that it requested FIFA to suspend "Israel's" football federation in response to the war on Gaza.

On its website, the federation stated that Iran requested FIFA to "completely suspend" the Israeli federation "from all activities related to football" and demanded "immediate and serious measures" by FIFA and its member associations "to prevent the continuation" of the Israeli "crimes and provide food, drinking water, medicinal and medical supplies to innocent people and civilians."

In addition, a 12-nation group of football associations in the Middle East has called on FIFA and the UEFA to ban "Israel", Sky News reported, referring to a letter sent to both sporting bodies.

The group includes the football associations of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar and is led by Jordan's Football Association, whose head is King Abdullah II's half-brother, Prince Ali.

The letter, written by Prince Ali, called on FIFA to isolate the Israeli football association from all related activities due to the brutal genocide in Gaza and the continuous war crimes "Israel" keeps committing in the Strip, targeting Palestinian civilians, including football enthusiasts, players, and coaches.