Infantino Calls for Peace in Gaza and Affirms That FIFA Is Not a Body for Resolving Geopolitical Disputes

During the opening of a closed session of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Council today, Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino called for peace in Gaza, affirming that the federation "is not able to solve geopolitical problems," in an indirect response to the increasing calls to suspend Israel's membership from FIFA.

Infantino stated that "the power of football lies in uniting people in a divided world," emphasizing that FIFA's role is to promote the sport and its unifying, educational, cultural, and humanitarian values, without directly mentioning Israel or its football association, despite the rising pressure to exclude its national team from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Last week, three independent experts from the United Nations called on FIFA and the European Football Association (UEFA) to suspend Israel's membership, considering that what is happening in Gaza amounts to "genocide," and affirming that sports bodies "should not ignore gross violations of human rights."

In the same context, the President of the Norwegian Football Federation, Lise Klaveness, called for sanctions against Israel, stating: "If Russia is banned, Israel should be banned as well," referring to the joint decision by FIFA and UEFA to ban the participation of the Russian national team and clubs in all international competitions since February 2022, which is still in effect.