3 min readMar 20, 2026 10:23 AM IST
FIFA, the world’s football governing body, imposed sanctions on the Israel Football Association (IFA) on Thursday for breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules following an alleged discrimination complaint from the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
FIFA said IFA has committed multiple breaches of its obligations as a FIFA Member Association. The world body said, “Following the proposal made by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) at the 74th FIFA Congress and the subsequent decision of the FIFA Council to mandate the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to investigate the alleged offence of discrimination raised by the PFA, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that the Israel Football Association (IFA) has committed multiple breaches of its obligations as a FIFA Member Association.”
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee said the IFA had failed to take adequate action against persistent racist behaviour by supporters of certain clubs, notably Beitar Jerusalem, and had not responded sufficiently to inflammatory and politicised public statements by football officials and clubs under its jurisdiction.
Read the full statement from FIFA on IFA over breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules:
As a consequence, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed the following sanctions on the IFA for breaches of articles 13 (Offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play) and 15 (Discrimination and racist abuse) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC):
- a) The IFA is ordered to pay a fine to the amount of CHF 150,000, subject to lit. c) below.
- b) The IFA is issued with a warning regarding its conduct.
- c) The IFA is ordered to implement a prevention plan in accordance with the following directives:
The Israel Football Association is ordered to display in its next three (3) A-level FIFA competition matches at home a significant and highly visible banner with the words “Football Unites the World – No to Discrimination” alongside the Israel Football Association’s logo. The size, layout, and positioning of the banner in the stadium shall be submitted by the Israel Football Association to FIFA at the latest fifteen (15) days before each match for approval.
The Israel Football Association shall, within sixty (60) days of the notification of the present decision, invest one third (1/3) of the fine due as per point a) above towards the implementation of a comprehensive plan to ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents, in compliance with art. 15 par. 7 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The plan shall be approved by FIFA and shall focus on the following areas: reforms, protocols, monitoring, and educational campaigns in stadiums and on official channels for an entire season. The remainder of the fine is to be paid within 30 days of notification of the decision.
The Committee reaffirms that while its mandate is confined to the application of FIFA’s internal regulatory framework, it cannot remain indifferent to the broader human context in which football operates. The sport must remain a platform for peace, dialogue, and mutual respect. Its global reach and unifying power carry with them a responsibility to uphold the values of dignity, equality, and humanity—especially in times of conflict and division.
The IFA has today been notified of the grounds of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, the decision has been published on legal.fifa.com.
The decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.
As part of the sanctions, the IFA was fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,621) and ordered to implement a mandatory prevention plan to combat discrimination, including educational campaigns and monitoring measures. The association must also display anti-discrimination banners at its next three home matches in the next three A-level FIFA competitions.
In a separate decision on Thursday, FIFA cleared Israeli football clubs after being accused by PFA of competing while allegedly based in Palestinian territory.
On the question of Israeli clubs based in settlements in the occupied West Bank, the Council adopted conclusions from FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), which had been asked to examine whether such clubs should be allowed to play in competitions organised by the IFA.
Story continues below this ad
FIFA said no action should be taken, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law. “FIFA should take no action given that, in the context of the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes, the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law,” the governing body said in a statement.
The participation of Israeli settlement clubs has been a recurring source of tension within FIFA for nearly a decade. The PFA has long argued that clubs based in settlements in the West Bank – territory Palestinians seek as part of a future state – should not compete in leagues run by the IFA.
