The Israeli football association’s status in the world of soccer may be in peril, caught up in the whirlwind following arrests and scandal at FIFA offices.
The Israelis were already faced with a motion, set forward by Palestine Football Association head Jibril Rajoub, to oust Israel from the FIFA family for using security concerns to limit the movement of Palestinian players, staff and equipment.
Israel, part of Europe’s UEFA confederation as opposed to the Asian Football Confederation that is home to the Palestinians, was expected to face the motion at FIFA’s congress, which kicks off later this week. However, if UEFA boycotts the congress, Israel — and many of its most staunch backers — may not be present to contest the vote.
There remain many unknowns in the situation, including, whether the congress will go ahead and whether the Palestinians can find enough votes outside of Europe to move their motion, but the development adds another layer to the scandal engulfing FIFA and ratchets up long-simmering tensions between the Israeli and Palestinian football associations.