FIFA declines action on Israeli clubs in disputed West Bank

PARIS, March 19 : FIFA will take no action against Israeli football clubs accused by the Palestine Football Association (PFA) of participating in competitions while allegedly based in Palestinian territory, the global governing body said after a FIFA Council meeting on Thursday.

The issue was referred to FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) following a submission by the PFA at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May 2024.

The committee was asked to investigate the participation in Israeli competitions of clubs allegedly located in the territory of Palestine.

In conclusions adopted by the Council, FIFA said no action should be taken, citing the unresolved status of the West Bank under public international law. 

"FIFA should take no action given that, in the context of the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes, the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law," the governing body said in a statement.

The question of Israeli settlement clubs has been a recurring source of tension within FIFA for nearly a decade.

The PFA has previously argued that clubs based in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Palestinians seek as part of a future state, should not compete in leagues organised by the Israel Football Association (IFA).