FIFA president Gianni Infantino says world football’s governing body “cannot solve geopolitical problems” as pressure mounts on the sport’s authorities to sanction Israel.
A United Nations commission of inquiry concluded last month that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s participation in football was not included as a formal item on the agenda of a FIFA council meeting held on Thursday.
However, Infantino touched on the subject in his opening remarks for the session at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich.
The 55-year-old Italian said, “Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.
“Fifa cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.”
Infantino later said he had met with Palestinian Football Association (PFA) president Jibril Rajoub on Thursday.
In a post on Instagram, he said: “I commend President Rajoub and the PFA for their resilience at this time, and I reiterated to him Fifa’s commitment to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world.”
Israel’s national team are currently participating in European qualifiers for next summer’s men’s World Cup, while Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv are playing in the Europa League.
Amnesty International has urged FIFA, which organises the World Cup, and UEFA, which organises European competitions, to suspend the Israeli Football Association from their tournaments.
Fifa vice-president Victor Montagliani said on Wednesday that Uefa should make the decision.
“First and foremost, [Israel] is a member of UEFA, no different than I have to deal with a member of my region for whatever reason. They have to deal with that,” he said.
Israel are third in their World Cup qualifying group – organised by UEFA – six points behind leaders Norway.
The top team from each group qualifies automatically for the tournament, with the runners-up going into the play-offs.
The 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has vowed to fight any attempts to block Israel from participating.
The UN report said there were reasonable grounds to conclude four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law had been carried out by Israel in Gaza since the start of the war in 2023.
A panel of human rights experts at the UN subsequently called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel’s national team from international football, saying: “Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual.”
Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence. Its foreign ministry called the UN report “distorted and false”.
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