Israel has 'brought football into disrepute', says Fifa

Fifa has accused the Israel Football Association (IFA) of bringing “football into disrepute” and said that it is practising a “de facto system of segregation” by excluding Palestinians from football infrastructure in Israeli settlements.

In a report released on Thursday, world football’s governing body found that the IFA had “failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem” for “persistent and well-documented racist behaviour”.

The Israeli club’s notorious fanbase maintain a de facto ban on Palestinian and Arab players and have a well-documented history of racism, with chants including “Let the IDF win and fuck the Arabs”, and “Here comes the most racist team in the country”.

“The IFA’s inaction in the face of entrenched discriminatory conduct and its failure to condemn or distance itself from politicised and militaristic messaging have collectively undermined the ethical foundation of the sport of football,” Fifa’s disciplinary committee said.

The committee found that the IFA had failed to “abide by Fifa’s statutory objectives”.

It said Israel's conduct had “brought football into disrepute, both domestically and internationally, and has damaged public trust in the sport’s ability to serve as a force for peace and inclusion”.

Despite the strength of this language, Fifa opted not to sanction the IFA, choosing instead to fine it 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,700) for “multiple breaches” of its anti-discrimination obligations.

The IFA was found guilty by Fifa of committing breaches of “articles 13 (offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play) and 15 (discrimination and racist abuse) of the Fifa disciplinary code”.

'Fifa does not want to sanction Israel but is bound by rules that require it to do so'

- Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare

Alongside the fine and a warning, the IFA has to display a banner with the words “Football Unites the World – No to Discrimination” alongside its logo at Israel’s next three home matches.

In rejecting calls to ban Israel, Fifa said that “the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law”.

In fact, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is recognised as illegal under international law, with the International Court of Justice ruling as much in a 2024 opinion.

The Fifa report and its decision regarding a fine and sanctions on the IFA comes in response to a proposal submitted by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) in March 2024.

Fifa’s disciplinary committee and its governance, audit and compliance committee investigated the PFA’s complaints, which related to discrimination by the IFA, Israeli football teams playing in illegal settlements and international law violations by Israel in occupied Palestine.

Last October, Amnesty International found that “at least six settlement clubs in the occupied Palestinian territory are playing in Israeli leagues - violating international law and Fifa’s own rules”.

More than 800 Palestinian athletes, including the footballer Hani al-Masdar, have been killed during Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Disparity between findings and action

Nicholas McGeehan, founder of FairSquare, a non-profit human rights group, highlighted the disparity between the language used by Fifa’s disciplinary committee and the absence of any serious action taken against the IFA.

"In seeking to close the door on this complaint, Fifa's response is only going to encourage more scrutiny of its actions," McGeehan told Middle East Eye.

He said: "On the same day Fifa releases a report by its disciplinary committee, which says the IFA’s actions bring the game into disrepute, it punishes them with a slap on the wrist, while the Fifa council dismisses a complaint about matches in illegal settlements by throwing out the hopeful argument that the settlements might not be illegal.

"These decisions and their timing speak to an organisation that is bound up in a gordian knot of its own making. It does not want to sanction Israel but is bound by rules that require it to do so."

In February 2022, following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s national team and Russian clubs were suspended from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa, European football’s governing body.

Israel, despite its genocide in Gaza, which began in October 2023 following Hamas-led attacks on Israel, has continued to play European and international football.

Awarding US President Donald Trump the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize in December 2025, Fifa's president Gianni Infantino, said: “You can always count, Mr President, on my support, on the support of the entire football community - or soccer community - to help you make peace and make the world prosper.”

This week Infantino said: “Fifa, or football, can certainly not solve geopolitical conflicts.”

The World Cup takes place this summer in Mexico, Canada and the US, with the participation of Iran, which is at war with Israel and the US after being attacked by both countries, still uncertain.

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