President of the Federation was pressured to apply sanctions against Israel after UN report quoting genocide in Gaza
The president of, Gianni Infantino, said that the top organ of world football “cannot solve geopolitical problems” in a context of growing pressures for sanctions against Israel. The statement was made during a meeting of the FIFA Council on Thursday (02.out.2025), in Zurich, after a Committee of the (United Nations) concluding that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Although Israel’s participation in soccer competitions was not formally included on the meeting’s agenda, Infantino addressed the theme in his initial observations at the Federation headquarters in Switzerland.
“Our thoughts are with those who suffer in the many conflicts around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey now is peace and unity.”said the 55 -year -old Italian.
The leader revealed that he met with the president of PFA (Palestinian Football Association), Jibril Rajoub, on Thursday (02.out.2025). In a publication on Instagram, Infantino stated: “Praise President Rajoub and PFA for his resilience at this time and reiterate FIFA’s commitment to use football power to unite people in a divided world.”
The Israeli team currently participates in the European qualifiers for the men’s World Cup next year, while the Maccabi Tel Aviv Club disputes the Europa League. Amnesty International has pressured both FIFA and.
Israel ranks 3rd in its World Cup qualification group, organized by UEFA, with 6 points less than leader Norway. The first place of each group automatically qualifies for the tournament, while the second placed are recap.
FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani said on Wednesday (01.out.2025) that UEFA should make the decision on Israel. “First of all, [Israel] He is a member of UEFA, not different from me having to deal with a member of my region for any reason. They have to deal with it ”he said.
The 2026 World Cup will be based by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The administration of US President Donald Trump (Republican Party) promised to combat any attempt to block Israel’s participation in the tournament.
The UN report indicated that there were reasonable reasons for concluding that 4 of the 5 genocidal acts defined by international law have been performed by Israel in Gaza since the beginning of the war in 2023. A panel of UN human rights experts asked FIFA and UEFA to suspend the Israeli selection of international football, stating: “Sport must reject the perception that it is business as usual.”
Israel has denied that their actions in Gaza constitute genocide and states that they are justified as a means of self -defense. His Ministry of Foreign Affairs classified the UN report as “distorted and false.”
