UEFA nation could be thrown out of football as FIFA hold 'urgent' meeting

A UEFA nation could be thrown out of world football with FIFA reportedly set to hold an urgent meeting.

Football’s governing body, FIFA, will hold an urgent meeting to decide whether Israel should be removed from world football.

As reported by The Telegraph, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has announced the meeting after Israel’s response to the Hamas terrorist attacks, which occurred on October 7.

It has been confirmed that FIFA ‘would carry out a “legal assessment” of a proposal submitted by the Palestine Football Association (PFA) for inclusion on the agenda for its annual congress in Bangkok this week’.

The report stated: “The proposal, which was backed by the FAs of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Yemen, was not put to a vote of Fifa member associations on Friday, with Infantino revealing it would decided upon at an emergency meeting of the organisation’s council in late July.”

Infantino also confirmed that both the FAs of Israel and Palestine would be allowed an input into the process.

He said: “Football should not and should never become a hostage for politics and always remain a vector for peace, a source of hope, a force of good, uniting people rather than dividing.

“This legal assessment will have to allow for inputs and claims of both member associations. The results of this analysis and the recommendations which will follow from this analysis will subsequently be forwarded to the Fifa council.”

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Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestinian Football Association said: “How much more must the Palestine football family suffer for Fifa to act with the same severity and urgency as it did in other cases?

“Does Fifa consider some wars to be more important than others and some victims to be more significant?”

He continued: “I ask you to stand on the right side of history. The suffering of millions, including thousands of footballers, deserves as much. If not now, then when? Mr president, the ball is in your court.”

Meanwhile, Israel FA’s president Shino Moshe Zuares said: “We are facing a cynical political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian association to harm Israeli football.

“Seven months after the terrible day, when football matches cannot be played in large parts of Israel, north and south, and over 130 Israelis are still being held in Gaza, it is injustice that even in these circumstances we find ourselves fighting for our basic right to be part of the game.”