Israel Football Association ‘trusts’ FIFA amid concerns over actions in Palestine

Israel’s football head, Niv Goldstein, expresses concerns about the possibility of the country being banned from FIFA

The head of the Israeli Football Association has proclaimed he is “trusting FIFA” not to throw his country out of world football over its government and military actions in Palestine. 

Niv Goldstein, the chief executive of the Israel Football Association, spoke out after a group of the game’s leaders in the Middle East called for it to be banished amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

FIFA and UEFA have resisted such an intervention ahead of Israel’s European Championship play-off semifinal against Iceland next month. 

“I trust FIFA not to involve politics in football. So, we are concentrating only on football matters, and our dream is to qualify for the European Championship in 2024. I’m looking forward to world peace,” Goldstein told Sky News.

But the European Broadcast Union has said that was a “fundamentally different” situation and backed Israel to remain in the contest. The Israeli Football Association also hopes to fend off the latest attempts to expel its teams.

Source: Newsroom

#haber#