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In 1992, the IFA was admitted to UEFA as an associate member, becoming a full member two years later. Since 1992, Israeli clubs have played in the various UEFA club competitions, while the national teams have played in UEFA championships. |
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In 1992, the IFA was admitted to UEFA as an associate member, becoming a full member two years later. Since 1992, Israeli clubs have played in the various UEFA club competitions, while the national teams have played in UEFA championships. |
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==Controversy== |
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As of 2017, the IFA included six member clubs playing in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These are Maccabi Ariel indoor football club and Ariel municipal football club in ]; Beitar Givat Ze’ev Shabi in ], a settlement near ]; Beitar Ma’aleh Adomim in ], a settlement near ]; Hapo’el Oranit in ]; and Hapo’el Jordan Valley in ], a settlement built on land seized from the Palestinian village of ].<ref name="HRW Report">{{cite web |title=Israel/Palestine: FIFA Sponsoring Games on Seized Land: Israeli Settlement Football Clubs Contribute to Human Rights Violations |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/09/25/israel/palestine-fifa-sponsoring-games-seized-land |website=HRW |date=25 September 2016 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref><ref> p. 17, ARIJ</ref> A seventh club, Hapo’el Katamon Yerushalayim, plays some home games in the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim while two other clubs playing in Israel list offices in settlements near ] and Ramallah.<ref name="HRW Report" /> Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine advocacy director for ], argues that the IFA is in violation of FIFA rules forbidding a club of one national association from playing in the territory of another as the West Bank is covered by the ], a FIFA member. Bashi also notes that Palestinians are not allowed to enter settlements to watch games played by these clubs.<ref name="IB Times Article" /><ref name="HRW Article" /> |
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German sportswear company ] previously sponsored the IFA, leading to criticism for supporting settlement clubs. More than 130 Palestinian sports clubs signed an open letter calling for Adidas to end its sponsorship of the IFA.<ref name="BDS Open Letter">{{cite web |last1=Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel |title=More than 130 Palestinian Sports Clubs Urge Adidas to End Sponsorship of Israel Football Association Over Settlement Teams |url=https://bdsmovement.net/news/more-130-palestinian-sports-clubs-urge-adidas-end-sponsorship-israel-football-association-over |website=BDS Movement |date=21 March 2018 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> An online petition of the ] to "Tell Adidas to end sponsorship of Israeli settlement teams" reportedly received more than 16,000 signatures.<ref name="BDS Petition">{{cite web |title=Tell Adidas: No Fair Play on Stolen Land |url=https://bdsmovement.net/adidas |website=BDS Movement |date=12 March 2018 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref><ref name="BDS Netherlands">{{cite web |title=Petition handed to Adidas: No fair play on stolen land! |url=https://bdsnederland.nl/petition-handed-to-adidas-no-fair-play-on-stolen-land/ |website=BDS Nederland |date=29 June 2018 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> In June 2018, a Dutch BDS group delivered the open letter and petition to an Adidas office in ].<ref name="BDS Netherlands" /> In July 2018, Adidas ended its sponsorship deal but was replaced as sponsor by ], another German sportswear company.<ref name="Adidas Withdrawal">{{cite web |last1=Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel |title=Team Justice Scores. Adidas No Longer Sponsoring Israel Football Association |url=https://bdsmovement.net/news/team-justice-scores-adidas-no-longer-sponsoring-israel-football-association |website=BDS Movement |date=31 July 2018 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> As a result, Puma has become a BDS target with critics arguing that Puma, the IFA's only international sponsor, "is involved in violations of international law and human rights."<ref name="Puma BDS Campaign">{{cite web |title=Global Campaign: Boycott Puma |url=https://bdsmovement.net/boycott-puma |website=BDS Movement |date=26 March 2019 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> Aya Khattab, a player on the Palestinian National Women's football team, argued that "Puma's sponsorship of the IFA, and the international legitimacy that it grants, signal to Israel's racist far-right regime that its expansion of illegal settlements by pushing Palestinian families off their ancestral lands can continue with impunity."<ref name="Khattab Article">{{cite web |last1=Khattab |first1=Aya |title=Puma keeps helping Israel sports-wash its human rights abuses |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/puma-helping-israel-sports-wash-human-rights-abuses-191025123042055.html |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> ], a Palestinian football player who was imprisoned by Israel for several years without charge or trial, accused Puma of "supporting the hate which is destroying lives and poisoning the beautiful game" of football.<ref name="Sarsak Article">{{cite web |last1=Sarsak |first1=Mahmoud |title=Tell Puma that if it opposes racism, then it must oppose the Israeli occupation |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2020/09/tell-puma-that-if-it-opposes-racism-then-it-must-oppose-the-israeli-occupation/ |website=Mondoweiss |date=10 September 2020 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> In addition to Khattab and Sarsak, more than 200 Palestinian athletes and sports clubs have called for a Puma boycott, according to an article in ].<ref name="Mondoweiss Puma Boycott">{{cite web |last1=Bloomfield |first1=Aubrey |title=Why Palestinians are calling for a boycott of Puma |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2019/06/palestinians-calling-boycott/ |website=Mondoweiss |date=13 June 2019 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> In October 2019, posters calling for a boycott of Puma appeared on trains in London. The posters were removed by ], which described them as an unauthorized act of vandalism.<ref name="Train Posters">{{cite web |title='Boycott Puma' BDS posters removed from London trains |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191025-boycott-puma-bds-posters-removed-from-london-trains/ |website=Middle East Monitor |date=25 October 2019 |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> In 2020, ], the largest university in ], ended a sponsorship deal with Puma for their football team due to Puma's IFA sponsorship.<ref name="Malaysia Boycott">{{cite web |title=Malaysia's University Boycotts Puma for Supporting Israeli Violations |url=https://shehaben.com/2020/03/01/malaysias-university-boycotts-puma-for-supporting-israeli-violations/ |website=Shehaben |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> |
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During the 74th ] on 17 May 2024 in ], the ] called for a vote on suspending the IFA from both UEFA and FIFA, stating that the damage to football infrastructure and deaths of Palestinian footballers during the ] were enough grounds to justify the action, while other supporters referred to other suspensions such as those of ] ] from 1961 to 1991 and ] following the ] in 2022. The IFA responded stating that their football was halted and that many of their footballers have been killed since ] while calling for peace and a future friendly between the two countries. ] would respond to the PFA stating that FIFA would conduct its own legal review and that the information about a final decision would be forwarded to the FIFA Council meeting on 3 October 2024 while also calling for peace.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-fifa-soccer-ca33eb89d7b310e8af5de11d6a09852d | title=FIFA to seek legal advice on Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international soccer | website=] | date=17 May 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://inside.fifa.com/about-fifa/congress/news/fifa-congress-takes-historic-decisions-on-racism-and-fifa-womens-world-cup-2027 | title=FIFA Congress takes historic decisions on racism and FIFA Women's World Cup 2027™ }}</ref> It was later decided that while Israel would not be suspended, FIFA would investigate the claims by the PFA.<ref>https://apnews.com/article/fifa-israel-palestinian-soccer-5b78239c70c568877c89695e2dcd0721#:~:text=FIFA%20opts%20not%20to%20suspend%20Israel%20but%20will%20investigate%20Palestinian%20claims%20of%20discrimination,-1%20of%202&text=ZURICH%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20FIFA%20stopped,alleged%20by%20Palestinian%20soccer%20officials.</ref> |
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], a Israel advocacy group in the US, criticized calls for a boycott stating that "Sports are supposed to unite and bring people together, BDS drives them apart."<ref name="Israel Hayom Article">{{cite web |last1=Beck |first1=Eldad |last2=Israel Hayom Staff |title=BDS urges boycott of German sportswear giant Puma over ties with Israel |url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/06/16/bds-urges-boycott-of-german-sportswear-giant-puma-over-ties-with-israel/ |website=Israel Hayom |access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref> |
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==Awards and recognition== |
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==Awards and recognition== |
The Palestine Football Association (PFA) or Eretz Israel Football Association, was founded in a meeting held on 14 August 1928, and applied for membership of FIFA. It was admitted provisionally on 17 December 1928, affiliated on 17 May 1929 and recognised by FIFA's government on 6 July 1929. The PFA changed its name to the Israel Football Association (IFA) following the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.
In 1992, the IFA was admitted to UEFA as an associate member, becoming a full member two years later. Since 1992, Israeli clubs have played in the various UEFA club competitions, while the national teams have played in UEFA championships.
Football in Israel