The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) issued a decision to impose disciplinary sanctions on the Israeli Football Association, after proving that it had committed violations related to aggressive behavior and discrimination. This decision came in response to the complaint submitted by the Palestinian Federation.
FIFA reported in an official statement that the Israeli Federation had violated Article 13, which deals with aggressive behavior and the rules of fair play, in addition to Article 15, which deals with discrimination and racism. As a result, the Disciplinary Committee decided to impose a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs on the Israeli Federation, along with issuing an official warning regarding its behavior.
The sanctions also included obligating the Israeli Federation to display a large and prominent banner bearing the phrase “Football unites the world…no to discrimination” next to its slogan, during its next three matches that it will host at home as part of FIFA competitions. It was also decided to allocate a third of the value of the fine to implement an integrated plan aimed at combating discrimination and preventing the recurrence of such incidents, within a period not exceeding 60 days.
In its statement, FIFA stressed that sport cannot be separated from the humanitarian context, and stressed the need for football to remain a place of peace, dialogue and mutual respect, especially in times of conflict and division. He also indicated that the Israeli Federation had been officially informed of the content of the decision.
Reuters reported that this decision comes at a time when FIFA refrained from taking separate action regarding Israeli clubs located in settlements in the West Bank, and was content for the time being with penalties related to the issue of discrimination.
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