FIFA Must Respect International Law Regarding Israeli Football Clubs: UN Experts

GENEVA (3 October 2024) – FIFA must respect and demand respect for international law from Israeli football clubs, UN experts* said today.

Over the years, at least eight football clubs have developed or have been identified as playing in Israeli colonial settlements of the occupied West Bank. Israeli clubs, many of which have exhibited racism towards the Palestinian people and players over the years, are integrated in the Israeli Football Association (IFA). A ninth club, based inside Israel, plays some home games in a settlement.

“Such integration and conduct within the IFA amounts to recognising as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory. This is in stark violation of international law, as reiterated by the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, that stressed that the transfer of Israeli settlers to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel’s maintenance of their presence, is in violation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and Israel’s obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Legally, this constitutes an act of aggression in violation of jus ad bellum. These are grave breaches of the Convention and amount to several crimes under the Rome Statute,” the experts said.

In its Advisory Opinion, the International Court of Justice clearly stated that Israel’s occupation of the Gaza strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful, along with the associated settlement and annexation. The ICJ noted that Israel's policies violate the prohibition on racial segregation and apartheid set out in article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Court mandates Israel to end its occupation, dismantle its colonies and separation wall, the entire associate regime, provide full reparations to Palestinian people and facilitate the return of Palestinian people displaced since 1967.

“We call on the FIFA Council, who will examine this matter during its meeting in October 2024, to ensure that its decisions are in conformity with non-derogable norms of international law,” the experts said.

“We remind FIFA that international human rights law, which includes the right to self-determination, as well as the prohibition of racial discrimination and apartheid, applies to private international organisations, especially those that have global jurisdiction and mandates such as itself. FIFA must also fulfill its responsibility to respect human rights in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” they said.

“The autonomy and self-regulation in sport must not be detrimental to fundamental human rights,” the experts said.

They urged FIFA to ensure implementation of its zero-tolerance policy against discriminatory conduct and racism when it comes to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

*The experts: Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights; Fernanda Hopenhaym (Chairperson), Lyra Jakulevičienė (Vice Chairperson), Pichamon Yeophantong, Damilola Olawuyi, and Robert McCorquodale, Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises; Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

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