Presentation on the

work of the FIFA

Monitoring Committee
Palestine-Israel
HOW IT STARTED, AND WHERE IT IS HEADING?
Introduction:

The grievances that Palestinian Football is suffering at the hands of the Israeli
Occupation were not born yesterday. They are as old as the occupation itself. What
concerns us in the football forum is what ways has the Israeli Football Association become a
part of these violations, and what can be done by the football family to address these issues.

Reports of atrocities and violations that hindered the PFAs rights and obligations to
organize, practice, or develop the game started coming in 2008. Whereas some reports
were about a player -or a team- being denied the right to move and join a squad, or
participate in a competition, other reports cried out the names of players or officials being
killed, injured, or detained without cause; Sport facilities demolished or broken into; The
building of FIFA Goal projects being halted and denied by the Israeli occupation.

Reports started to get sorted in an attempt to find solutions. The magnitude of what was
happening was threatening the growth and development of our budding football, and seriously
interfering with our rights and obligations as stipulated in Articles 13 and 14 of the FIFA
statutes.
In 2010, PFA had a database of violations across 5
categories related to our football development:

1. Restrictions on the movement of players and officials in and out and

within Palestine.
2) Restrictions on the movement of sport goods
(including documents sent by FIFA and AFC) in and out
of Palestine.
3) Human rights violations against elements of the sport
of football.
4. Political intervention by the occupier in our right to
organize friendly matches.
5. Restrictions on building and maintaining football
related facilities by the Israeli occupation, which at
the same time- allowed illegal settlement to build
football facilities, and the IFA to organize football on
stolen Palestinian land.
2009-2013 : 5 years of complaints
These grievances were raised to the attention
of FIFA and AFC more than once over these 5
years, and it has to be said that neither took
the matter lightly.

FIFA MAs became conscience of the problem,

and more voices joined the demand to solve it
in a way that enables the Palestine FA to
practice its rights and obligations as other
Members do

FIFA tried getting the message to the

occupation through its member, the Israeli
Football Association. But these efforts were in
vain. The AFC always backed these efforts.
 FIFA 63rd Congress May 2013 in Mauritius:
The Palestine Football Association submitted a proposal for the agenda of the 63rd
FIFA Congress to to discuss the situation of Palestinian football.
The Congress unanimously approved that a one-year mandate be given to the FIFA
President then, Mr. Joseph Blatter, to solve 5 grievances the PFA pointed out.
FIFA called both the PFA and IFA for several meetings to try form a mechanism
-under the umbrella of FIFA- to address the 5 issues, in the hope that the mandate
ends by the next congress with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding
between the PFA and IFA
This hope turned out to be more suited to the realm of dreams that reality, for the
Israeli FA refused a Mutual recognition in which both associations declare that
they recognize each other as the sole entity entitled to run and develop
football in their respective territories.
The Israeli FA even went as far as proposing a paper which constitutes a serious
violation of FIFA statutes which demands that The Palestine Football Association
must operate through the formal channels of the state of Israel
 FIFA 63rd Congress May 2013 in Mauritius:
To add insult to injury, Israeli authorities denied travel to Mr.
Mohammad Amassi, the Deputy General Secretary of the
Palestine FA, who was supposed to be a member of the Task Force
that was to oversee the application of any mechanism.

The PFA tried to be positive, at the advice of its Confederation, the

AFC, and its friends in the larger football family. Its liaison officer
cooperated in reporting incidents through the mechanism, but these
incident were only solved partly, and in limited cases. The Israeli
liaison officer kept explaining away the atrocities of the Israeli
occupation and finding excuses for incident of even the
murder and maiming of Palestinian players. He was playing the
plastic surgeon that tries to make a brutal occupation look good.
FA 64th Congress May 2014 in Sao Paulo:

While the football Community

was eagerly awaiting the FIFA
Presidents report, two
players were brutally beaten
up, and one shot dead in cold
blood by an Israeli sniper.
AFC President Sheikh Salman
confirmed AFCs full support
towards the Palestine FA,
and affirmed that AFC will
keenly wait for details of the
said <Blatters>report
FIFA 64th Congress May 2014 in Sao Paulo:

The report admitted that the progress was unsatisfactory, and asked for yet
another extension of the mandate.

The fact that the mechanism had not produced any real progress had necessitated
the appointment of a FIFA neutral monitor to report on the mechanism to the
FIFA EXCO meeting of December 2014. The President of the Cyprus Football
Association Mr. Costakis Koutsoumnis was appointed to perform the task.

Things got from bad to worse. The Israeli war on Gaza destroyed almost every
football facility there, and deprived Palestinian football from so many
players, coaches, and officials.

The neutral monitor, surprisingly _or perhaps not so surprisingly_ submitted both
his report and his resignation to the FIFA EXCO
Why did the Mechanism not produce any viable change?

IFA justifies the actions of the Israeli political

IFA
The
organizes
absencefootball
of amilitary
and stance
official
by activities
the IFA, against
authorities in areas
under thediscrimination
jurisdiction ofand
another
racism
association
 FIFA 65th Congress May 2015 in Zurich:

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) had had enough, and

thus had no other choice but to ask for a suspension of the Israel
Football Association from FIFA based on three issues:

Israeli restrictions on the movement of Palestinian

1 players and equipment

Israeli Football Association was organizing football

2 activities on the territory of the PFA

IFAs lack of action against racism in its football.

3
FIFA 65th Congress May 2015 in Zurich:

Following advice from the Presidents of all the

Confederations, and other football prominent figures, the
proposal was amended where suspension was
withdrawn from the PFAs proposal, in return that the
Congress to vote a decision that a committee be formed by
FIFA to handle all three grievances presented in the
original proposal.

The 65th Congress agreed, by an overwhelming

majority as set out in its approved minutes, and with the
agreement of the IFA, the FIFA Monitoring Committee
Palestine-Israel, led by Tokyo Sexwale, was mandated by
the FIFA 65th Congress to cover the three issues, but
would not handle political or territorial matters pending
an answer on the issue of territory which should be
decided by the United Nations.
FIFA 66th Congress May 2016 in Mexico City:

Sexwale produced a report on the Monitoring

Committees work. The report said there was a
minor progress in the movement issue, but
there was still more work to be done.

FIFAs new President Gianni Infantino and Tokyo

Sexwale declared their aim to resolve the
settlement clubs issue, before the FIFA
Council meeting on 13-14 October 2016.
 International interest in the FIFA Monitoring
Committee Palestine-Israel

International Organizations
started writing to the
Monitoring Committee and
to FIFA urging for an
application of the statutes
on matter of the settlement
clubs:
Asked FIFA to Argued that Urged FIFA to
Ban teams IFA either not allow
from remove the these
settlements in settlement settlement
occupied football teams teams to be
Palestine from from its members if
competing in membership, they remain
Israels or have its based in
League own occupied
membership territory
of FIFA
International interest in the FIFA Monitoring
Committee Palestine-Israel

Said that with Urged FIFA to to act Urged FIFA not

Asked FIFA to in accordance with
apply its own Israels total FIFA Statutes, to accept
Statutes, disregard of UN international law, the football clubs
resolutions . It existing precedents that play on
urging the would be a and FIFAs human
stolen land as
Israeli football mockery of
rights commitments.
On this basis, FIFA member
league to stop FIFA's Mission should rule that associations,
its activities in and Statutes if settlement clubs and to suspend
either fully relocate
the an Israeli city within Israels the participation
settlements. were awarded internationally of those that
the status of recognized borders or violate its rules
are excluded from the
hosting Israeli Football and
International interest in the FIFA Monitoring
Committee Palestine-Israel
issued a comprehensive report 26th
September 2016 affirming that By
allowing the IFA to hold matches
inside settlements, FIFA is engaging
in business activity that supports
Israeli settlements, contrary to the
human rights commitments it
recently affirmed.
The report concludes by saying:
This problem has one solution: FIFA
should tell the IFA clubs to practice,
pass, and play all you want but only
The Special Adviser to the United
Nations Secretary General on Sports
for Development and Peace: The
United Nations Security Council has
determined that Israeli settlements in
occupied territory have no legal
validity, as they are in breach of
international lawI therefore urge a
resolution of any disputes in line with
the United Nations Security Council
Resolutions and FIFA Statutes within a
reasonable timeframe.
 Shuttle Visits:

Mr. Sexwale visited Palestine and Israel on the 1 st of July. The

chairman of the Monitoring Committee himself was unnecessarily
detained for about 40 minutes on the Erez checkpoint (between
Gaza and the West Bank) as he made his way out of Gaza. As a
result, he was 30- minutes late for his meeting with the Israeli
minister of Sports, who refused to see him because of the delay!

Later on the same day, as he was trying to cross from Israel to

Palestine for a meeting with H.E. the Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbass, scheduled at 22h00, Mr. Sexwale was deferred
from 2 checkpoints, and crossed the third one almost by a
miracle. The Palestinian President met him, nonetheless, despite
being 2 hours late.

In spite of Sexwales efforts to hold a meeting of the Monitoring

Committee in September ahead of the Council, this did not
happen because the IFA said it was not available to meet.
 FIFA Council Meeting 14 October
2016
The FIFA Council met on the 14th of
October 2016. The FIFA Monitoring
Committees report was tabled under Any
other matters in the agenda of the
meeting, and neither a decision, nor a
report by sexwale were made. Sexwale
admitted that he was already playing in
the extra time but asked for more time
nonetheless. Thus a decision was
postponed to the next Council meeting on
9-10 January 2017.
 FIFA Monitoring Committee
Meeting on 1 November 2016
The PFA:
Referred to article 72.2 of the FIFA Statutes (no member association can administer football in the
territory of another member association)
International community, several UN resolutions and the international Court of Justice (2004)
determine that the territories in question are Palestinian.
a "Crimea solution* could be accepted.

The IFA:
5 clubs are located in Area C", under full political and military control of Israel until the final and
permanent agreement between both parties is negotiated.
the UN resolutions do not support the claim made by the PFA regarding the territories in question.
In relation to his letter, Wilfred Lemke, The Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General
on Sport for Development and Peace, does not have enough authority to give an opinion on the
matter.
 UN Resolution 2334 on the 23rd
of December 2016
If Lemkes letter did not possess enough
authority, gave everyone the answer they have
been waiting for on Israels settlement policy,
stating beyond any doubt that it constitutes a
flagrant violation of international law. It
clearly defines Palestinian territories as the
territories occupied by Israel after the 1967
war, including east Jerusalem, and states that
all measures including construction and
expansion of settlements, transfer of Israeli
settlers, confiscation of land, demolition of
homes and displacement of Palestinian
civilians in said territories are in violation of
international humanitarian law, Israel's obligation
as the occupying Power according to the Fourth
Geneva Convention, and previous resolutions.
Failure to meet before the FIFA
Council Meeting on 9 January
2017
The FIFA Monitoring Committee failed to meet
again before the Councils meeting in January,
again due to Israeli delays and postponement.

The FIFA Council met on the 9th of January,

2017, and Sexwale presented his report, but
no decision was taken. He asked -yet again! -
for more time, and the council gave the
Monitoring Committee a month to meet and
present a final report. FIFA President Infantino
made a statement to the Press disclosing that
he expected a final report within one month.
Until When?!!
More than a month has passed, but no
report has been made, and the Committee
did not meet. Sexwale proposed the next
(and supposedly final meeting) of the FIFA
Monitoring committee for late February, or
early March, which, as you may have
already noted, exceeds the 30 days. Yet,
the IFA said these dates are not suitable
and proposed to have a meeting in late
March!

Next Meeting has been agreed on the next

22nd of March

PFAs official position on the settlement clubs as
ratified by the PFA Board and communicated to FIFA
The PFA regards the affiliation to the IFA of
clubs based in Israeli settlements in the West
Bank, including Maaleh Adumim, Kiryat Arba,
Givat Zeev, Bikat Hayarden and Ariel as an
ongoing material violation of Article 72 (2) of
the FIFA 2016 Statutes. Because, regardless of
their size, the settlement-based clubs in
question must participate in the IFAs official
competitions (e.g. The Israel State Cup and
regular season leagues); and IFA-affiliated clubs
based in Israel must play IFA-scheduled
matches in settlement venues. This cannot be
allowed to continue.
 Articles of FIFA statutes
that are breached by the
settlement clubs:
Art 11 (1): only one association shall be recognized as a member association in each
country
Art 72 (2): Member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another
member association without the latters approval.
Art 73: Associations, leagues or clubs that are affiliated to a member association may only
join another member association or take part in competitions on that member associations
territory under exceptional circumstances. In each case, authorization must be given by both
member associations, the respective confederation(s) and by FIFA.
In addition, FIFAs continued acceptance of the settlement clubs appears to conflict with the
newly added FIFA statutes article on human rights and with the article on non-discrimination:
Art 3: FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall
strive to promote the protection of these rights.
Art 4: Discrimination of any kind () is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or
expulsion.
 Conclusion:
The Palestine FA has literally bent backwards for the sake of good
faith, in trust of the Chairman of the Committee, and in line with
its commitment as a FIFA and AFC member, and a member of the
monitoring Committee; but it cannot go on enduring this situation
alone when there is a grave concern -that I am sure you share-
that the issue be postponed indefinitely, while Palestinian players
still suffer, while AFC has to issue exceptions for teams that
cannot travel to Palestine, and sport goods it cannot deliver to its
member association of Palestine, and while Israeli settlement
clubs continue playing on stolen Palestinian lands, within the area
of jurisdiction of the Palestine Football Association.