London, 1 May 2026 (PA Media/dpa/MIA) - FIFA risks setting a precedent if it fails to sanction the Israeli Football Association over clubs based in occupied West Bank settlements, the Palestinian federation’s president has warned.

FIFA announced on March 19 that Israel’s federation would face no action in relation to teams playing in its leagues which were based in the territory.

FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) confirmed it had decided not to recommend action because “the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law”.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has lodged an appeal against that decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and PFA president Jibril Rajoub addressed FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday.

“A member association cannot benefit from FIFA membership while permitting a structure in which football is organized on another member association’s territory without consent, and where access to football is denied to the people of that territory,” he said.

“If that principle becomes negotiable, it will not remain a Palestinian issue, it will become a precedent for many associations in this room.”

In 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law. Israel views the territory as disputed, rather than occupied.

Rajoub’s speech in Vancouver was followed by an address from Israeli FA vice-president Basim Sheikh Suliman.

“I believe that football is supposed to build bridges for our future between us and our brothers and neighbours, the Palestinians,” he said.

“I call upon everyone here to contribute to projects and initiatives that are promising for the future in order to change the reality of today.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said prior to the association representatives’ speeches: “Your two federations have the same rights, the right to organize football in your respective territories, the right to represent your countries on the international stage and the right and duty to instill in your children a love of football and respect for one another. I hope that at next year’s Congress, I really hope we will have the confirmation that this is indeed the case.”

Infantino tried to bring Rajoub on stage alongside Suliman after the latter’s speech, but Rajoub did not join Suliman on the platform, instead engaging in a heated-looking off-mic conversation with Infantino.

Photo: EPA