logo
FIFA Under Fire From Palestinian FA For Slow, Unclear Israel Investigation

FIFA Under Fire From Palestinian FA For Slow, Unclear Israel Investigation

Forbes18-05-2025

usan Shalabi was exhausted - tired of traveling halfway around the world from Amman to Asuncion, tired of fighting against the soccer establishment. But she was in Paraguay to deliver an important message on behalf of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), a message FIFA, soccer's global governing body, has heard before—and ignored. Shalabi told me: 'That's the usual FIFA, that's the motto. Procrastination.'
After FIFA president Gianni Infantino wooed delegates with promises of a projected $13 billion revenue and trips to FIFA Summits in Miami - just before a walkout by the European Council members in protest of his late arrival - Shalabi finally got the chance to speak.
Once again she raised the issue of Israeli settlement clubs in the West Bank. With the war in Gaza, her call carried great urgency. Shalabi and PFA president Jibril Rajoub have long been passionate advocates for Palestinian soccer. The pair have been protesting the Israeli presence in the West Bank for over a decade.
She told the Congress: 'Let's not keep rewriting the minutes of meetings and passing the bucket from one committee to the other, while football in Palestine is being erased. We need to act now.'
That urgency was lost on FIFA. The organisation's secretary general Mattias Grafström stepped in—not with a decision, but with delay. Instead of acting on the PFA's request to conclude the investigation into settlement clubs within a month, he deflected.
He said: 'The matter was discussed by the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee and the work of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee remains ongoing, as does the investigation of the Disciplinary Committee.'
Shalabi and the PFA invoked articles 64 and 65 of the FIFA Statutes - territorial rules that prohibit member associations from organizing soccer on another member's land without permission. At the 2024 FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, they called for 'appropriate' sanctions against the Israel Football Association (IFA), citing 'unprecedented international human rights and humanitarian law violations.'
FIFA's response then was to commission a legal review by independent experts, but the assessment and decision were postponed to allow Israel to compete in the Olympic football tournament in Paris, France. The issue was remitted to the FIFA Governance Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), but the committee has still not come to a resolution. Grafstrom added that the GACC has 'requested expert reporting, including on topics of territoriality, to support its work.'
FIFA has a history of kicking this can down the road. In 2017, the global governing body dismissed a report by South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale that laid out three actions to address the Israeli settlement clubs. None were taken.
Football in Gaza and the West Bank has all but collapsed. Yet amid the devastation, a few glimmers of hope remain—Palestine's U-20 national women's team recently won the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship, overcoming Jordan 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the final following a 1-1 draw.
'Even at the grimmest of times, you know, we still hold on to not not not to the hope, to the belief that someday we will get justice,' said Shalabi. 'If you don't have hope, then what's the point in anything?'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Amid protests, questions loom about how active ICE will be at Club World Cup games
Amid protests, questions loom about how active ICE will be at Club World Cup games

Los Angeles Times

time43 minutes ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Amid protests, questions loom about how active ICE will be at Club World Cup games

The Department of Homeland Security said border patrol agents will provide security for Saturday's FIFA Club World Cup opener between Inter Miami and Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. 'Let the games begin,' U.S. Customs and Border Protection wrote in a social media post Tuesday. 'The first FIFA Club World Cup games start on June 14 in Miami, FL at the Hard Rock Stadium. CBP will be suited and booted ready to provide security for the first round of games.' The post has since been deleted. But it included a reference to 'the first round of games,' suggesting immigration agents were not limiting their presence to the opening match. The month-long 32-team tournament includes six first-round games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, beginning with Sunday's match between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Spain's Atlético Madrid. CPB agents, who operate under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, do not primarily provide security at stadiums the same way local police or private security firms do, but they are often involved in security operations in the lead-up to major events, monitoring airspace or assisting with rapid response to emergencies. ICE officers, which also operate under the DHS umbrella, are primarily tasked with identifying and arresting individuals who violate U.S. immigration law. So the possibility that federal immigration officials will be on site at a major international soccer match less than a year before the World Cup returns to the U.S. figures to inflame an already tense situation. FIFA said it is collaborating with the Rose Bowl on security issues and the presence of CPB and ICE agents, while not anticipated, could not be ruled out. 'FIFA is working in collaboration with the stadium authorities and relevant government government agencies — be it local, federal and state — to implement a detailed safety and security plan for the stadiums involved in the Club World Cup,' said a FIFA source familiar with the situation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Three other international matches will also be played in Southern California during the next five days in Inglewood and Carson, but officials at both those stadiums said federal agents will not be present. The CONCACAF Gold Cup will also kick off Saturday with Mexico playing the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium, but officials there said they have not changed their normal security procedures. A Gold Cup doubleheader involving Panama, Guadeloupe, Jamaica and Guatemala will follow at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson on June 16 and a stadium spokesperson said they will also be using their regular protocols, in addition to providing a public protest area on the stadium grounds. The civil unrest in Southern California was sparked by masked ICE officers executing immigration raids across the region. The ensuing protests led the Trump administration to send thousands of national guard troops and hundreds of U.S. Marines into city streets over the objections of L.A. mayor Karen Bass, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local elected officials. No one at SoFi Stadium would speak on the record about security preparations for Saturday's CONCACAF Gold Cup opener featuring Mexico, which is expected to draw a crowd of more than 50,000. But one official with knowledge of the situation said the stadium is following 'normal procedures' and 'ICE is not part of those protocols.' SoFi Stadium's security and crowd management duties have traditionally been handled by local law enforcement authorities and Contemporary Services Corporation, a private security company whose yellow- and blue-clad workers have become ubiquitous at sports and entertainments across the country. The Mexican team was originally slated to stay in a downtown hotel ahead of the match in Inglewood, but it moved to Long Beach because of security concerns. Asked about the presence of ICE agents at Saturday's Club World Cup match at Hard Rock Stadium, where last year's Copa América final was delayed more than an hour by fans rushing the entrances, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he did not see a problem with it despite the fact it figures to depress attendance for a game that was already struggling to sell tickets. 'We are very attentive on any security question,' Infantino said. 'Of course, the most important [thing] for us is to guarantee security for all the fans who come to the games. This is our priority. This is the priority of all the authorities who are here. 'And we want everyone who comes to the games to pass a good moment.'

Governor says N.J. World Cup will be ‘welcoming' to fans, despite Trump immigration crackdown
Governor says N.J. World Cup will be ‘welcoming' to fans, despite Trump immigration crackdown

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Governor says N.J. World Cup will be ‘welcoming' to fans, despite Trump immigration crackdown

Gov. Phil Murphy speaking at a World Cup-related event in Liberty State Park on June 11, 2025. (Jake Hirsch/Governor's Office.) As anticipation builds for New Jersey hosting the World Cup next summer, anxieties are also swirling among international soccer fans worried they'll be targeted by Trump administration immigration policies. But Gov. Phil Murphy, who championed bringing FIFA's soccer tournament to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, said he's not concerned about that and is optimistic it'll be a 'blowout success and a safe World Cup.' 'Based on all the vibrations I hear, and we hear a lot, we're obviously working very closely with the administration, with FIFA. This is going to be done in a first-class, welcoming way,' Murphy said at a World Cup-related event at Liberty State Park in Jersey City Wednesday. Next year's World Cup will be the biggest in history, with 48 teams and three host countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, with eight matches to be played at MetLife Stadium, including the final. More than 1 million people are expected to travel from across the world to attend the matches. Camille Varlack, a deputy mayor to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, claims it will generate as much as $3.4 billion in economic revenue for the region. Varlack said up to 70% of that will benefit New York City, which is New Jersey's host partner. Alex Lasry, CEO of the host committee for New Jersey's matches, urged tourists who may be worried to apply for a visa early and follow all the required steps. Lasry is focused on making sure everyone has a good time, he stressed. 'The world doesn't stop for these sporting events, and you have to go with the flow and make sure you're able to adapt, be a part of, and make sure that you're able to put on a successful event, despite geopolitics,' he said. Last month, Vice President J.D. Vance made an ominous warning to fans planning to visit for the most popular sporting event in the world. 'Of course everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we'll have visitors probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,' he said. 'But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' referencing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Noem oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Adding to some fans' unease, President Donald Trump's travel ban and visa restrictions on nearly two dozen countries — including Iran, which qualified for the tournament — also went into effect this week. Officials Wednesday said that doesn't apply to athletes for the World Cup. 'I don't want to speak for the president, but where it is today versus where it lands a year from today, a long road to travel between now and then,' Murphy said. 'But anybody who qualifies, based on everything I know, is going to be welcomed whether their games are in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.' Philadelphia host committee CEO Meg Kane appears more anxious about how Trump administration policies will affect the tournament, telling The Guardian that officials are 'planning within uncertainty.' 'There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level. There are going to be geopolitical issues that we don't even know right now that are going to affect the tournament next year,' Kane told the outlet. The focus of Wednesday's event was to mark the one-year countdown to the first match. Liberty State Park will be transformed into an official 'fan fest' site for watch parties for all 104 matches. Murphy noted that Major League Soccer, the professional league in the U.S. and Canada, was founded in response to the United States hosting the 1994 World Cup. 'I can only imagine what will be born out of this World Cup, and most importantly, in the communities in the region on both sides of the Hudson,' Murphy said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Judge says Trump cannot deport or detain Mahmoud Khalil
Judge says Trump cannot deport or detain Mahmoud Khalil

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Judge says Trump cannot deport or detain Mahmoud Khalil

A federal judge said on Wednesday that the Trump administration cannot deport or continue to detain Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist who was arrested by immigration officers in March. But Judge Michael Farbiarz put a pause on his injunction until the morning of 13 June to give the federal government time to appeal. Khalil will be detained at least until that point. In his written decision, Judge Farbiarz said there was no compelling interest to keep Khalil in custody or to deport the 30-year-old, who is a lawful permanent resident. Since he was arrested at his home in New Jersey, Mr Khalil has been held at a detention centre in Louisiana. He was taken into custody as part of President Donald Trump's wider crackdown on international students who protested the Israel-Gaza war. Mr Khalil has become one of the most high-profile cases in that crackdown, with videos of his arrest whipping around social media and the birth of his child in April, while he was being held, making headlines. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had determined his presence and activities in the country compromised US foreign policy interests and he should be removed, but the judge on Wednesday questioned using the determination to hold or deport Mr Khalil. He also wrote that Mr Khalil's "career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled --- and this adds up to irreparable harm" and that he expects Mr Khalil to win in the case against him. The federal government is expected to appeal against the injunction.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store