March 31 – In a letter to UEFA, the Palestine FA (PFA) has raised the issue of Israeli settlement clubs and flag the confederation’s integrity checks.
On the eve of the UEFA Congress in Belgrade, Serbia, the PFA wrote to UEFA president Alexander Ceferin and general secretary Theodore Theodoridis to draw attention to the longstanding problem of Israeli settlement clubs in the West Bank, which is not part of Israel according to various UNSC resolutions, the International Court of Justice and international law.
The letter reads: “It is not just that these territories do not belong to the country of Israel in international law – they also do not belong to Israel FA under European or global football regulations. Israel FA never received an authorization from UEFA, Palestine FA, AFC and FIFA, all of which are required under Art 65 of the FIFA Statutes to incorporate clubs located on the Palestinian territory into Israeli leagues.”
The note follows a letter to FIFA. The PFA want the FIFA Congress to compel the organisation’s governance, audit and compliance committee (GACC) to conclude their investigation into settlement clubs so that FIFA can move toward a decision. The world governing body will stage their annual congress in Asuncion, Paraguay, in May.
Last year, the PFA had called for the suspension of the Israeli Football Association (IFA) over the war in Gaza at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand. In October, an ‘independent’ panel of lawyers presented its findings to the FIFA council which mandated the GACC to investigate the problem of settlement clubs.
The PFA has also raised concern over the eligibility of IFA president Moshe Zuares for the elections of Uefa’s executive committee. Last month, Zuares passed integrity checks that will see him run as one of the 11 candidates for the seven available positions.
The letter sayd: “The Chairman of the Israel FA, Mr. Moshe Zuares, has now submitted his candidacy for the UEFA Executive Committee. As an association supportive of Israeli regime, Israel FA recently visited Air Force, a military base that engages in extermination campaign of civilians in Gaza, saying ‘together, we will win’. We therefore express our profound disappointment that Mr. Zuares was able to pass the eligibility check by the UEFA’s electoral committee under Art 4bis of the Regulations Implementing UEFA Statutes and that his candidacy was accepted.”
“His appointment would further contribute towards UEFA’s support for illegal settlement expansion, normalising the actions of the Israel FA, and devaluing the core principles of our sport.”
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