April 16 – The Asian Football Confederation has again expressed unity in its support for the Palestine FA and called for FIFA to respond swiftly to the complaint against the Israeli FA (IFA) calling for it to be sanctioned with a suspension.
The PFA’s complaint covers the IFA’s support for military action in Gaza and the West Bank, the allowing of six clubs from illegally built settlements on West Bank land to participate in local competitions, and the systematic targeting of Palestinians, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 582 athletes, including 270 football players. More than 286 sports facilities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have also been destroyed.
The call for FIFA to address the issue was made both by AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (pictured rights with PFA president Jibril Rajoub), who said “the issue has dragged on for too long”, and the AFC’s Executive Committee.
In a statement published on the AFC website, its Executive Committee expressed its “full and unified support for the appeal by the President of the Association, Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, for a swift decision on the proposal submitted by the Palestinian Football Association to the 74th FIFA General Assembly, which was held in Bangkok in May of last year.”
A year later and just a month away from FIFA’s Congress in Paraguay, still no ruling has been made.
In his closing remarks at the Executive Committee meeting, held on April 11, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before the AFC Congress, Shaikh Salman said: “We appreciate the steps taken by FIFA, but we hope to reach a faster resolution to this issue, which concerns one of our members, the Palestinian Football Association. All we demand is that the relevant bodies within FIFA study the file and make clear decisions, as the issue has dragged on for too long.”
“… I have previously emphasised during the FIFA Council meetings the need to reach a solution, and if anyone objects to any decision, they can resort to the FIFA judicial body and/or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to present their position.”
“We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian football family and all those affected by the ongoing conflict, and we stress the need for accountability,” Sheikh Salman told the AFC website.
“The AFC has been closely monitoring the developments of the situation and would like to highlight the importance of responding to the PFA’s demands in a timely manner, in line with global principles of fair play.”
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