FIFA issue statement over banning Israel from international football after calls from Palestine FA

The FIFA Council has responded to a proposal submitted by the Palestine Football Association [PFA] regarding the Israel Football Association.

Earlier this year, the PFA called for a vote at FIFA's congress to suspend Israel because of the ongoing war in Gaza.

The Palestine Football Association believes Israel's federation has committed "violations of FIFA regulations" and wants sanctions against the country's national teams and clubs.

In response to calls for a ban, IFF president Shino Moshe Zuares said they are facing "a cynical political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian association to harm Israeli football."

At the the FIFA annual congress in May, Zuares added: “Make no mistake, the IFA never violated rules set by FIFA and UEFA and will never do so in the future.”

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino said it was a matter for the FIFA Council to make a decision on following a legal assessment.

And on Thursday, the FIFA Council met in Zurich to take key decisions on FIFA Member Associations and upcoming FIFA competitions, including the proposal submitted by the PFA regarding the IFA.

In short, the FIFA Council has ordered investigations into alleged breaches of its rules by Israel.

FIFA published the below statement on their website following Thursday's meeting.

"In relation to the proposal submitted by the Palestine Football Association regarding the Israel Football Association at the 74th FIFA Congress, the FIFA Council adopted the following recommendations and conclusions reached in the independent legal analysis mandated by FIFA:

-- The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will be mandated to initiate an investigation into the alleged offence of discrimination raised by the Palestine Football Association.

-- The FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee will be entrusted with the mission to investigate – and subsequently advise the FIFA Council on – the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine."

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Article 4 of the FIFA Statutes strictly prohibits “discrimination of any kind against a country ... or group of people” on any grounds, and says any breach of this non-discrimination obligation is punishable by “suspension or expulsion”.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino also released a statement on the matter.

He said: “The FIFA Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter and, based on a thorough assessment, we have followed the advice of the independent experts.

"The ongoing violence in the region confirms that, above all considerations, and as stated at the 74th FIFA Congress, we need peace."

Infantino added: "As we remain extremely shocked by what is happening, and our thoughts are with those who are suffering, we urge all parties to restore peace to the region with immediate effect.”