Palestinian Players Sue FIFA And UEFA Presidents Infantino And Čeferin Over Israel Stadium Colonization

Palestinian players, landowners, and clubs have filed a complaint before the International Criminal Court (ICC) targeting FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin over accusations of "war crimes and crimes against humanity" tied to the colonization of stadiums by the State of Israel.

“On March 19, 2026, FIFA issued its decision regarding the Palestinian Football Association's (PFA) complaint against the Israeli Football Association (IFA)”

Agence Media Palestine

SO FOOT says the ICC complaint is linked to FIFA and UEFA’s handling of settlement clubs, with Politis reporting that eleven clubs are now based in illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Agence Media Palestine

A former Palestinian professional player now exiled in Egypt, who joined the complaint, said, "But for Palestinian players, though registered on FIFA's rolls, it said nothing; on the contrary."

That same voice added that FIFA "takes sides with Israeli teams even though it is the occupying forces that killed these players," pointing to the killing of Suleiman Al-Obeid in the Gaza Strip at the age of 41.

FIFA’s March 19, 2026 decision on the Palestinian Football Association’s (PFA) complaint against the Israeli Football Association (IFA) found the IFA guilty of "multiple breaches" of anti-discrimination obligations, including a conclusion that it was practicing "a de facto system of segregation" by excluding Palestinians from football facilities in Israeli settlements.

Yet the sanction described by Agence Media Palestine was limited to a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs (190,000 dollars) and an obligation to display an anti-discrimination banner during the next three home matches.

Anadolu Ajansı

Amnesty International denounced FIFA’s justification for not sanctioning Israeli clubs in the occupied West Bank, recalling that the International Court of Justice had "unequivocally stated that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is unlawful" in its 2024 advisory opinion.

In parallel, the Palestinian Football Association appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA’s decision not to sanction Israel, with France 24 quoting a spokesperson saying, "We have lost hundreds of players, most of them children."

France 24 reported that after the Asian Football Confederation’s annual conference in Vancouver, Susan Shalabi, the deputy head of the Palestinian Football Association, said, "Since we have exhausted all possible legal avenues with FIFA, we will comply with the rules and regulations, and we will appeal this decision."

“The Palestinian Football Association has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA's decision not to sanction Israel over the clubs based in settlements in the West Bank”

France 24

Shalabi also warned that the situation for Palestinian football remains dire, saying, "It is very dangerous for our teams to participate in competitions," and noting that professional leagues have been suspended.

Agence Media Palestine and Anadolu Ajansı both frame the dispute as a legal escalation over settlement clubs, with the Palestinian Football Association challenging FIFA’s stance on Israeli clubs operating in settlements in the occupied West Bank.

In Anadolu Ajansı’s account of Shalabi’s position, she said the federation will continue the legal path "until justice is achieved," while also describing Gaza as a place where sports infrastructure has suffered widespread destruction and football activities have largely halted.