FIFA Refers Crimes of the occupation against Palestinian athletes to legal committee 

The International Football Federation “FIFA ” referred the demands of the Palestinian Football Federation to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against Palestinian sports to an independent legal committee to submit the legal opinion to the Federation Council, which will be held next July.

This came during the 74th FIFA General Assembly meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, where FIFA president Gianni Infantino pointed out that this decision came due to the sensitivity of the issue and to ensure compliance with the implementation of FIFA regulations, pointing out in this context that the Palestinian Football Federation is a full-fledged Federation and enjoys all the rights like other national federations.

The president of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, stressed during his speech at the meeting that the Palestinian people, including the Palestinian football family, are suffering from an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and witnessing a living genocide in the Gaza Strip unfolding in full view of the world, pointing to the martyrdom of 282 athletes, including 193 football players in the Gaza Strip and 11 athletes in the West Bank.

Rajoub pointed to the massive destruction of the sports infrastructure as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, in addition to the destruction of two facilities in the West Bank and the transformation of football stadiums into prisons for thousands of Palestinians, calling for addressing the systematic violations of the laws and regulations of “FIFA”, which the Palestinian Football Federation has been subjected to over many years by the Israeli occupation.

Amal Farhat