FIFA has ruled on two closely watched issues involving Israeli football, and the headline outcome is clear: FIFA sanctions Israel FA over anti-discrimination and fair-play breaches, while taking no action against clubs accused of playing in Israeli leagues from settlements in the occupied West Bank
The decisions followed a FIFA Council review of proposals first submitted by the Palestine Football Association at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May 2024.
In a separate disciplinary decision, FIFA said the Israel Football Association committed systemic breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules. The case centred on how the IFA handled racism in Israeli football.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee said the IFA did not take adequate action against persistent racist behaviour by supporters of certain clubs, especially Beitar Jerusalem. It also said the association failed to respond sufficiently to inflammatory and politicised public statements by football officials and clubs under its jurisdiction.
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As part of the sanction, FIFA fined the IFA 150,000 Swiss francs and ordered it to implement a mandatory prevention plan that includes educational campaigns and monitoring measures. The association must also display anti-discrimination banners at its next three home matches in the A-level FIFA competition.
FIFA No Action on Settlement Clubs
On the separate question of Israeli clubs allegedly based in settlements in the occupied West Bank, FIFA said it would take no action. The FIFA Council adopted the conclusions of its Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee on the issue.
According to FIFA, no action should be taken because the final legal status of the West Bank remains unresolved and highly complex under public international law.
The Palestine Football Association has argued for years that clubs based in West Bank settlements should not compete in leagues organised by the IFA. That dispute has remained a recurring point of tension inside FIFA for nearly a decade.
Together, the rulings show FIFA drawing a distinction between governance and disciplinary matters. On the one hand, it declined to intervene in the territorial question regarding settlement clubs. On the other, it moved ahead with punishment over discrimination and fair-play failures inside Israeli football.
That means the broader political dispute remains unresolved, while the IFA now faces immediate compliance steps under FIFA’s disciplinary process.
