The participation of the Israeli Football Association (IFA) has been left off the official agenda for the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on Thursday, despite intense pressure to suspend Israel following a UN report alleging genocide in Gaza.
The UN commission’s finding last month that there are “reasonable grounds” of genocidal acts has prompted Amnesty International and human rights experts to demand FIFA and UEFA ban the IFA.
While not on the agenda, the matter could still be discussed under ‘miscellaneous.’
However, FIFA Vice-President Victor Montagliani indicated the decision rests with UEFA, as Israel is a member of the European confederation.
The Israeli national team remains active, scheduled for World Cup qualifiers in October, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry vehemently denies the genocide claims, calling the UN report “distorted and false.”
In a separate but related development, sportswear giant Reebok confirmed it would honor its contract with the IFA, reversing an earlier reported decision.
A spokesperson stated the company “don’t do politics; we do sport.” The US administration has also vowed to fight any attempts to block Israel from international participation.
