Zurich: FIFA has imposed a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,000) on the Israel Football Association (IFA) for breaching anti-discrimination regulations while declining to suspend Israel from international football as requested by Palestinian authorities. The request was related to the presence of clubs based in West Bank settlements. According to United News of Bangladesh, FIFA's disciplinary panel found the IFA culpable for instances of discrimination, racist abuse, offensive conduct, and violations of fair play. These included the tolerance of politicized and militaristic messaging by Beitar Jerusalem supporters and the systemic exclusion of Palestinians from football infrastructure in settlements. FIFA has mandated that one third of the fine be allocated towards reforms, monitoring, and educational campaigns aimed at preventing future incidents. FIFA's ruling council, led by President Gianni Infantino, chose not to address formal Palestinian complaints submitted in 2024. The council cited the unresolv ed legal status of the West Bank under international law as a reason for their decision. In a separate matter, Infantino denied Iranian requests to relocate their 2026 World Cup group matches from the United States to Mexico, affirming that the tournament should proceed as planned. Iran is scheduled to play two matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Infantino asserted that FIFA's role is not to resolve geopolitical conflicts but to utilize football as a means to promote peace. He highlighted that no team has withdrawn from a World Cup since 1950 and altering fixtures for political reasons would set a new precedent.
