On November 25, Just Peace Advocates, Al-Haq, and ICJP Canada sent a letter to the President and Council of CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football), demanding they take action to ensure the Israel Football Association (IFA) is suspended from FIFA. This was followed by an announcement on December 1, from Irish Sport for Palestine, Scottish Sport for Palestine, and Just Peace Advocates, stating that the FIFA and UEFA Presidents will be the subject of a complaint to the ICC. They are being accused of aiding in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Submitting Parties include a group of Palestinian footballers, Palestinian clubs, owners of the land, and advocacy groups.

It is critical that CONCACAF take action and speak out in the face of grave injustice towards Palestine and Palestinians. It is particularly important to get to CONCACAF’s President, Victor Montagliani, as he is also the Vice President of FIFA. Montagliani holds a unique position of power, and has a higher responsibility to take action to ensure that FIFA upholds international legal obligations by banning or suspending Israel. It is appalling that FIFA and the UEFA continue to allow Israel to participate, even as they took swift and immediate action to sanction Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

To learn more about why the IFA must be suspended from FIFA (and the UEFA) check out a previous communication focused on Canada Soccer.

We demand that CONCACAF takes following actions:

• Publicly demand and invest efforts to ensure that FIFA suspend the Israel Football Association (IFA), Israeli clubs, and players who engaged in hate speech and/or are soldiers and reservists in the Israel’s military.

• Bar member associations from playing matches against the Israel’s national team.

• End any and all financial support for the IFA. Further, if CONCACAF has financially supported the IFA in any way (e.g. sponsorships), then CONCACAF make reparations to the Palestinian communities negatively affected by this sponsorship.