Geneva (AP) – Face-to-face Global Calls Expansion To suspend Israeli teams from football, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Thursday that the governing body must promote peace and unity and that it cannot resolve political issues.
During a zealous period in football politics, Infantino led the FIFA Council meeting, where Israel was officially not on the agenda, before the reopening of the 2026 World Cup qualifying games next week.
strongest Push towards the Israeli team By European football leaders during two years of conflict in Gaza, Peace proposal Monday at the White House by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Infantino told a 37-member council “emphasized the importance of promoting peace and unity, especially in the context of the ongoing situation in Gaza,” FIFA told a news release that did not directly address Israel.
“FIFA cannot solve geopolitical issues,” Infantino said in a statement:
Infantino was not available for interviews as FIFA did not schedule a press conference.
Israeli men’s team now must travel to qualify for the World Cup For Norway in Oslo Italy in Udin on October 11th and three days later.
Norway was one of the European football federations urged UEFA to call on the executive committee to vote in order to halt Israeli teams from international competitions ahead of the FIFA conference in Zurich. Turkish football bodies were called directly to UEFA and FIFA to stop Israel.
Despite opposition from Israeli and German members, those familiar with the debate told The Associated Press that a vote for the 20-person UEFA panel is likely to be passed.
FIFA and Infantino formed close ties with Trump ahead of the co-hosting of the World Cup with Canada and Mexico next year, but did not follow the UEFA vote. That outlook went even further last week when the US State Department said it would work to protect Israel’s position in football.
Monday’s Trump Netanyahu peace proposal was also quickly welcomed by governments in the Middle East, including Qatar, a leading Palestinian supporter and has close ties with UEFA and its president, Alexander Ceferin.
The FIFA meeting on Thursday was attended by Nasser Al Keraifi, the head of the European soccer club group, president of Paris Saint-Germain, the title holder of Qatar-owned Champions League. Al-Khelaifi is also a member of the Qatar government.
Ghibril Rajuv, head of the Palestinian Football Federation, also stayed in Switzerland this week, meeting with International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
