Maltese Labour MEP Daniel Attard has criticised FIFA and UEFA for what he describes as blatant double standards in their treatment of Israel and Palestine compared to Russia.
In his statement, Attard recalled how both governing bodies moved swiftly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Four days. That’s how long it took FIFA and UEFA to act decisively,” he noted, pointing out that Russian teams were banned from competitions on 28 February 2022.
The message, he argued, was that nations violating international law could not remain part of the football community.
Attard contrasted this decisive action with years of inaction on Palestine. He highlighted that the Palestinian Football Association has repeatedly appealed to FIFA to address violations by the Israel Football Association, but has been met with “deferrals, committees, and inaction.”
He stressed that six Israeli clubs based in illegal West Bank settlements are allowed to compete, despite FIFA’s statutes forbidding such practices without consent from the relevant member association.
He also underlined the wider impact on Palestinian football, including restrictions on travel, bombed stadiums, destroyed infrastructure, and raids on offices.
“These are not abstract political disputes but direct attacks on a FIFA member’s ability to play the sport,” Attard said.
The MEP argued that FIFA’s stance is shaped by politics and power rather than principle. He praised fans across Europe and beyond for displaying Palestinian flags and banners, describing grassroots solidarity as a “weekly rebuke to football’s administrators.”
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