Ahmad 
“FIFA” today postponed the request of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) during its last meeting in Bangkok to immediately freeze Israel’s membership.
The Palestinian request to put the matter to a vote was rejected at the General Assembly in the Thai capital.
‘FIFA’ President Gianni Infantino decided to refer the request to the FIFA Council for independent legal consultation, to assess the situation and to determine next steps, in order to decide on the Palestinian request during the extraordinary session scheduled for July 20.
The Palestinian federation cited a series of violations it deemed a breach of FIFA rules, minutes before President Gianni Infantino’s speech.
The President of the Palestinian Federation, Jibril Rajoub, expressed his dismay at incidents that witnessed abuses against Palestinians, such as the scenes of dozens of Palestinians stripped naked, including children, detained in Yarmouk Stadium in December 2023.
The invitation was supported by the Jordan Football Association and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), whose president, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, reiterated continued support for the Palestinian proposal.
Last March, the Palestinian federation called for addressing the inclusion of football teams in settlements built on Palestinian land, in the Israeli league, “which is the territory to which the Palestinian Football Association belongs.”
At least five settlement clubs in the occupied West Bank have joined the Israel Football Association. Settlements are illegal under international law.
In a statement after the departure of representatives of Iran and Iraq from the room, Shino Moshe Zuares, president of the Israeli Federation, denied that the issues at hand were related to the activity of the Israeli Federation, describing them as malicious attempts with political and hostile motives.
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