Six clubs in OPT in violation of international law and FIFA Statutes

Amnesty International has sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA calling on them to suspend the Israeli Football Association (IFA) from their tournaments until it excludes clubs based in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) from continuing to play in Israel’s football leagues.

“As Israel’s national football team gears up for World Cup qualifiers against Norway and Italy, Israel continues to perpetrate genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Over 800 athletes, players and sports officials are among the more than 65,000 people Israeli forces have killed in a deliberate campaign of wholesale devastation, forced displacement and starvation of civilians,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“At the same time, Israel is brutally expanding its illegal settlements and legitimizing illegal outposts in the West Bank as part of its unlawful occupation of Palestinian Territory. It is nothing short of a disgrace that the IFA is still allowing clubs from these settlements to keep playing in its leagues, after multiple warnings for more than a decade.”

There are at least six clubs based in settlements in the OPT currently playing in Israeli leagues, in violation of both international law and FIFA’s own statutes. Article 64.2 of FIFA’s statutes states that “Member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter’s approval.” 

The FIFA Council is scheduled to meet on 2 October, with the Palestinian Football Association still waiting for action to be taken in response to a formal complaint it lodged in March 2024.

Suspending the IFA would mean that neither FIFA nor UEFA would provide it with funding, nor would Israeli national or club teams be able to play in international competitions until the IFA complies with international law and FIFA statutes. It would also mean the IFA loses membership and voting rights throughout its suspension.

“There should be no place in football, or indeed in any sport, for clubs based in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The IFA is shamelessly contributing to Israel’s violations of international law by providing sporting and economic opportunities that help sustain, these illegal settlements,” said Agnès Callamard.

“Football is not played in a vacuum. FIFA and UEFA must accept their responsibilities under international law and stop letting Israeli national teams and club sides participate in international or European football until the IFA suspends all clubs from illegal settlements.”

Background

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion that declared that Israel’s presence in the OPT is unlawful and must be rapidly terminated. It also noted that there is an obligation on states “to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the OPT or parts thereof which may entrench its unlawful presence in the territory”. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 has concluded that the ICJ’s conclusions “place on corporate entities a prima facie responsibility to not engage and/or to withdraw totally and unconditionally from any associated dealings” that entrench Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT.

Israel failed to meet the 12-month timeline that the UN General Assembly set in a September 2024 resolution to withdraw from the OPT in compliance with the ICJ advisory opinion.

In September 2025, Amnesty International named 15 companies it has identified as contributing to Israel’s unlawful occupation, its apartheid against Palestinians whose rights it controls, or its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

FIFA and UEFA have both provided funding for Israeli teams to play in international and European tournaments, meaning they may also be contributing to the expansion of illegal settlements, and therefore Israel’s human rights violations.