Calls for Israel to be banned from various sports are growing louder. The country is now competing in the qualifying rounds of the FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to begin in 2026. Many voices from across the world have demanded that FIFA ban Israel.

A few weeks ago, the Italian Football Coaches Association sent a letter to the Italian Football Federation urging it to petition FIFA to suspend Israel from all international competitions, including the forthcoming World Cup event.

Recently, Mustapha Ramid, Morocco’s former justice minister, added his voice to the rising chorus. He cited FIFA’s swift expulsion of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, and criticized FIFA for treating the Israeli national team on normal terms despite the IOF’s relentless genocide and war crimes in Gaza.

Example of Russia

Russia, which has been suspended by both the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and FIFA following the invasion of Ukraine, has not been permitted to return to competitive football. The Russian team, called “Red Bears,” was the host for the 2018 World Cup, but now has spent the last three years confined to unofficial matches only against friendly nations from around the globe.

Belarus, too, has faced heavy sanctions for its involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The nation has been suspended from competing in multiple sports, including tennis and athletics, and was banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics. UEFA also prohibited Belarus from hosting competitive international matches, though, unlike Russia, it remains eligible to play in World Cup qualifiers.

Double standards for Israel

But in the case of Israel, no action has been taken so far. There is a historical background to this resentment. The Israel Football Association was a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) group of FIFA between 1954 and 1974.

Because of the Arab League boycott of Israel, several Arab and Muslim states refused to compete against Israel. The political situation culminated in Israel winning the 1958 World Cup qualifying stage for Asia and Africa without playing a single game.

Later, Israel was expelled from the AFC group by a resolution initiated by Kuwait, which was adopted by AFC by a vote of 17 to 13 with 6 abstentions. But to get around the ban, Israel was admitted as an associate member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 1992, and was admitted as a full member of the UEFA group in 1994.

Supporters of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement have advocated for Israel to be expelled or suspended from FIFA, without success.

FIFA’s hypocritical stand

The controversy surrounding Israel’s participation highlights the tension between sports and politics. FIFA has stated that athletes should not face punishment for events beyond their control. But this stand reeks of hypocrisy and double standards because the Russian team has been banned for the nation’s war against Ukraine.

On the face of it, it looks like the USA and its supporting nations are calling the shots in the international sports arenas. But how long they will be able to retain their grip on the sports bodies remains to be seen.

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