(CNN) – FIFA, football’s governing body, announced a plan to address the Palestinian call to ban Israel from the tournament. soccer world during a meeting held this Thursday at its headquarters in Zurich.
“The FIFA Council has acted with due diligence in this very sensitive matter and, based on a thorough assessment, we have followed the advice of independent experts,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement following the decision. on Thursday.
“The current violence in the region confirms that, above all considerations, and as stated at the 74th FIFA Congress, we need peace. 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.”
CNN has contacted the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) and the Israeli Football Association (IFA) for comment on the decision.
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Earlier this year, the PFA asked FIFA to ban the IFA, its national teams and its clubs from participating. The original PFA motion was tabled in April, before being raised at the FIFA Congress in May, with a decision expected in July.
The deadline for the decision was pushed back several times until Thursday’s announcement. FIFA did not reveal when it would announce the results of the investigation.
The PFA argued that the IFA should be expelled from world football due to the “violation of international law by the occupation of Gaza; racism and discrimination against Palestinian athletes in two Israeli clubs and the violation of FIFA statutes due to the participation in the league of five Israeli clubs from illegal settlements in Palestinian territory.”
These allegations have been rejected by the IFA.
FIFA commissioned an independent panel to compile evidence, which was presented this Thursday to the 37 members of the FIFA Council.
Following today’s hearing, the FIFA Council adopted two conclusions and recommendations.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Commission will be mandated to initiate an investigation into the alleged crime of discrimination raised by the Palestinian Football Association,” the conclusion says.
“The FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee will be entrusted with the mission of investigating – and subsequently advising the FIFA Council – the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams supposedly based in the territory of Palestine.”
Both men’s national teams go into action next week. Palestine plays Iraq in World Cup qualifying on October 10 and Israel plays France in the Nations League on the same day.
