Firm, FIFA Sanctions Israel over Palestinian Complaints

JAKARTA - FIFA has imposed sanctions on the Israel Football Association (IFA) as a follow-up to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) complaint at the 74th FIFA Congress.

FIFA's statement on Friday said that in the FIFA congress, Palestine reported that Israel had discriminated.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee, as reported by Antara, decided that Isrsel had committed several violations of its obligations as a FIFA member.

Furthermore, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed three types of sanctions on Israel after it was proven to have violated Articles 13 (Offensive behavior and violation of the principle of fair play) and 15 (Discrimination and racist harassment) of the FIFA Disciplinary Rules (FDC).

The first sanction is the obligation of the Israeli party to pay a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs. The second sanction is a warning, while the third is the obligation to implement a prevention plan in accordance with the instructions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

For the third sanction, FIFA requires the Israeli party to display a large and visible banner that reads "Football Unites the World - No to Discrimination" next to the logo of the Israel Football Association in three A-level FIFA matches at home.

In addition, within sixty days of this ruling, the Israeli party must invest one-third of the fine to be paid in accordance with the above for the implementation of a comprehensive plan to ensure action against discrimination and prevent the incident from recurring.

The plan must be approved by FIFA and must focus on the following areas: reform, protocol, monitoring, and an education campaign in stadiums and on official channels over a full season.

The remaining fine must be paid within 30 days of the notification of this decision.

Israel is still given the opportunity to appeal this decision to the FIFA Appeal Commission.