Norway didn’t want to, but it had no choice. It had to host the Israeli football team for their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Saturday, or risk its own chances of making it to next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), though, had already sent out a message showing its stance: it was donating all proceeds from the game at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadium to humanitarian work in Gaza, where Israel has unabashedly committed genocide for the last two years.

Lise Klaveness, the president of the NFF, then led a late push for Israel to be banned by UEFA, Europe’s football governing body. A UEFA vote on Israel’s continued participation was expected last week, only for it to fall in the slipstream after a ‘peace’ proposal on Monday in the White House by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Klaveness, who sits on the powerful 20-member UEFA executive committee, had already stirred up the debate and, whether the ‘peace plan’ sees the light of the day or not, it is indicative of the loose footing Israel is standing on in the football world — losing support with every passing day.

FIFA’s decision to not take a decision for now on banning Israel from world football reeks of hypocrisy

Israel became a part of UEFA in 1994 after Asia’s boycott. It was part of the Asia Football Confederation (AFC) from 1954 to 1974.

“It is incredibly difficult to play against a country where the word genocide is involved, because after all, it is still their flag and national anthem that are present,” Klaveness said on Norwegian podcast Pop and Politics, regarding the World Cup qualifier against Israel.

“I work on the issue from a principled standpoint, but we will not boycott on our own. A boycott [forfeit of the game] would only result in Israel going to the World Cup instead of us.”

Klaveness’ comments sparked a war of words with her Israeli counterpart Moshe Zuares, who also sits on UEFA’s executive committee. “I have had enough of her [Klaveness’] provocations,” Zuares was quoted as saying by Le Parisien. 

Klaveness, though, isn’t the only one talking. The majority of the football world is protesting the mass murders in Gaza, standing in solidarity with the suffering Palestinians.

The San Mames stadium in the Basque Country in Spain was decked in the colours of the Palestinian flag last Saturday for home side Athletic Bilbao’s La Liga game against Mallorca. Palestinian refugees were invited on to the pitch for a solidarity event before the game, with chants of “Free Palestine” echoing around the 53,000-seater stadium. 

The event coincided with one of the biggest protest demonstrations in Barcelona against Israel’s continued genocide on the same day. 

Ahead of the march, Spanish football legend Pep Guardiola, the current Manchester City manager, issued a rallying cry, asking the people of his native city to flood the streets. “We are witnessing a live genocide, where thousands of children have already died and others may still die,” Guardiola said in a video message.

VOICES UNHEARD

Those voices of sanity, though, have largely gone unheard in global football body FIFA and, by extension, UEFA.

Last Wednesday, as Amnesty International called upon the both bodies to act, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani passed the buck on UEFA to decide Israel’s role in world football.

A day later, FIFA president Gianni Infantino would wash his hands off the issue. 

“FIFA cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values,” Infantino said in a statement after the meeting of the FIFA Council last Thursday.

“Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.”

The question is whether Infantino, who has forged a close bond with Trump as the US prepares to co-host the first 64-team World Cup, can act. 

Infantino was invited by Trump in September 2022 to a White House signing event for the Abraham Accords, which seek to normalise diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries.

A year later, during a visit to Israel, the FIFA leader envisaged a future where Israel could co-host a World Cup “with her neighbors in the Middle East and the Palestinians.”

The world might have changed since then but allegiances don’t and FIFA and Infantino would’ve always stopped short of imposing any sanctions after the US State Department had made it clear that it would protect Israel’s status in football.

The only thing Infantino has done for Palestine as the debate raged on whether Israel should be banned was to commend Palestinian Football Federation Jibril Rajoub and his organisation “for their resilience at this time.”

Infantino’s FIFA also continues to stall an investigation by a governance panel that was set up last year after years of campaigning by Rajoub’s PFF to suspend the Israel Football Association. 

According to the FIFA statutes, “member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter’s approval.” Israel, meanwhile, has professional teams based in illegal settlements in the West Bank.

STARK CONTRAST

Israel’s treatment by UEFA and FIFA, though, is in stark contrast to that meted out to Russia, which was banned by both bodies shortly after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

That was noted by Klaveness, who said: “Personally, I believe that, since Russia is out, Israel should also be out. As a football president you can have personal opinions, and I certainly have mine.”

In a joint-statement at the time of banning Russia, FIFA and UEFA had stated that football was “fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine.” The Palestinians, though, haven’t seen that show of solidarity and there is little condemnation for Israel’s actions despite FIFA being “committed to respecting and promoting human rights.”

Unlike Russia, whose national teams and clubs are barred from UEFA competitions, teams from Israel continue to take to the pitch as their government continues its merciless assault on innocent civilians in Gaza.

FIFA’s statutes state that “discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, disability, language, religion [and] political opinion is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.” Israel’s actions are anything but non-discriminatory.

FIFA and UEFA can argue that there isn’t clarity in the statutes on what actions should be taken, but they have set a precedent by imposing sanctions on Russia. Not doing so against Israel can only be called hypocrisy.

The writer is Dawn’s Sports Editor.
X: @UmaidWasim

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 12th, 2025