On 25 September 2025, Al-Haq, Just Peace Advocates and International Centre for Justice for Palestinians Canada sent a letter to Canada Soccer expressing our organisations concerns over Canada Soccer’s responsibility under the statutory provisions applicable to it under various soccer regulations and international law in relation to the continued membership of the Israel Football Association (IFA) in FIFA and UEFA.

Human rights obligations applicable to Canada Soccer

Article 3 of FIFA Statutes and Article 4 of Canada Soccer By-Laws impose identical statutory obligations on these bodies to respect “all internationally recognized human rights and […] strive to promote the protection of these rights.” This obligation is fleshed out in the FIFA Human Rights Policy that was drafted to align the operations of FIFA, and many other entities, with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The FIFA Human Rights Policy applies to FIFA and reflects expectations “of a wide range of entities in their activities relating to FIFA, including all events organised by, or under the auspices of, FIFA. These groups include FIFA subsidiaries, FIFA-recognised regional football confederations, FIFA member associations, entities tasked with organising FIFA competitions, FIFA’s commercial affiliates, service providers and suppliers, as well as other entities that are linked to FIFA through its business relationships.” Thus, the scope of the covered entities is wide and includes Canada Soccer in its role of an organiser of the World Cup, as well as all contracted entities tasked with organising the World Cup in various capacities.

Article 4 of FIFA Statutes and Article 5 of Canada Soccer By-Laws further prohibit “discrimination of any kind against a country [...] or group of people” on any grounds and provides that any breach of non-discrimination obligation is punishable by “suspension or expulsion.”

Grave violations of FIFA Statutes and Human Rights Policy by the Israel Football Association, Israeli clubs, players, and fans

Israeli soccer clubs in illegal settlements on Occupied Palestinian Territory

The IFA organizes soccer activities, namely FIFA-sanctioned games, in illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Nine soccer clubs have been documented as either being based in a settlement and/or playing home games in a settlement. These nine clubs are: Maccabi Ariel, Ironi Ariel, Beitar Givat Ze’ev, Beitar Ma’aleh Adumim, Hapoel Oranit, Hapoel Bik’at Hayardn, Hapoel Yerushalayim, Ironi Elitzur Yehuda, and Hapopel Katamon Yerushalayim. These clubs also employ settlers and financially benefit the settlements. Often, the clubs receive funding from settlement municipalities and regional councils.

Palestinians are not allowed to enter settlements, to participate in these teams or attend as spectators, reflecting a clear example of the apartheid policies enforced by the IFA. Under FIFA Article 4, violation of the non-discrimination obligation is punishable by “suspension or expulsion.” This value is reflected in Article 5 of Canada Soccer’s By-Laws.

The IFA is responsible for the development of professional soccer. These clubs “serve as recruitment and training for Israeli professional teams, which provide both the IFA and FIFA with revenue from ticket sales and broadcasting right.”

FIFA and the UEFA have sent millions of shekels to the IFA annually, “as part of a reciprocal financial relationship in which FIFA and UEFA earn money from regional and international games in which Israeli teams play.”

The land used by these teams is Palestinian territory has been illegally appropriated, in acts amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. For instance, the Givat Ze’ev field is built on Salah al-Din al-Qurt’s familial land. Israel illegally built a settlement on al-Qurt’s father’s land and subsequently declared it “off limits” for Palestinians.

Human Rights Watch, FairSquare, Amnesty International, UN Special Rapporteurs, the UN Working Group on Human Rights, and EU Parliamentarians have all written to FIFA and asked it to immediately remove the illegal settlement clubs from its structures as they represent a grave violation of Palestinian human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL). FIFA was told that, contrary to its claims, international law does apply to it and was urged to immediately apply its own statutory provisions on territorial integrity. Namely, Article 64(2) of FIFA Statues prohibits member associations and their clubs from playing on the territory of another member association without the latter’s approval, while Article 65 stipulates that “[a]ssociations, leagues or clubs that are affiliated to a member association may only join another member association or take part in competitions on that member association’s territory under exceptional circumstances. In each case, authorisation must be given by both member associations, the respective confederation(s) and by FIFA.” The IFA never received any of these authorisations and PFA specifically objected to its territory being used by the IFA.

When Gianni Infantino was elected President of FIFA, the IFA openly welcomed the result, stating it was good news for Israeli soccer since he was a friend of IFA and claiming that under his leadership sanctioning Israel would be difficult for anyone. This proved accurate: in 2017, when FIFA’s own Israel-Palestine Monitoring Committee, established in 2015 specifically to recommend a solution for the issue of illegal settlement clubs, recommended giving IFA six months to comply with the Statutes (i.e., to suspend all the clubs located in illegal settlements from its leagues) or face sanctions, Mr. Infantino derided their report and continued ignoring the issue. The PFA submitted another request for sanctions in 2024, but FIFA “President Gianni Infantino ignored requests for the matter to be put to a vote at the 74th FIFA Congress.” Since then, the request has been deferred and decision on the matter delayed for no apparent reason.

IFA’s breach of the requirement to manage affairs independently

In response to the PFA’s 2024 proposal, the IFA recruited the Israeli government and military. In May 2024, Israeli media reported on the “the containment battle of Israeli football against the Palestinian Proposal” and said that the IFA set up an emergency committee and recruited the help of government to sabotage the PFA Proposal before the FIFA Congress: “[t]he Israeli military is working around the clock with the goal of arriving as prepared as possible and torpedoing the initiative of the Palestinian Association”. This is not new. It was previously documented in a 2013 letter to FIFA, where the IFA demanded on behalf of Israel that “the Palestine Football Association must operate through the formal channels of the state of Israel.” This violates FIFA Article 19 and UEFA Article 7, which requires Member Associations to manage their affairs independently. Here, not only is the State government intertwined within the operations of the national soccer association, so too is the military. It is rather striking and unprecedented.

However, neither FIFA or the UEFA objected to the IFA using the military and government to sabotage its processes and the proposals of its member association submitted in accordance with its Statutes. Instead, FIFA has delayed the process and has not yet taken a decision on an urgent matter of illegal settlement clubs. Given the very limited scope of investigation required (confirming the identity of the illegal settlement clubs and applying the relevant provisions of FIFA Statutes), it is clear that the delay is due to political and other undue influences, as pointed out by the PFA at FIFA’s 75^th Congress in May 2025.

Other violations by IFA

The IFA visited, promoted, and supported an Air Force military base that directly engaged in genocidal acts of killing Palestinians in Gaza. This constitutes an endorsement and promotion of genocidal forces and their actions. The IFA does not punish any racist statements by the Israeli players, or actions by the Israeli clubs and fans, as required under its own rules and regulations. Instead of starting the disciplinary proceedings against IFA according to FIFA Disciplinary Code, FIFA ignores this issue. We set out relevant examples in the subsections that follow.

Genocidal incitement by Israeli players

Further, many of the Israeli national team players have expressed violent hate speech and incitement to commit genocide. Israeli athletes are active Israeli military members, by policy. Only those who were born and live abroad are exempt from the requirement of serving / having served in the “Israel Defense Forces”. No Israeli soccer players have spoken out against Israel’s genocide, but rather condoned and supported it. For example:

• Shon Weissman (a player of the Israeli national team who was rejected by the German club Fortuna Dusseldorf due to fan backlash): His statements, which have been logged by Law for Palestine in their database of Israeli Incitement to Genocide, include
  • “What is the logical reason why 200 tons of bombs have not already been dropped on Gaza?”
  • “Why doesn't Ezael shoot him in the head?!?” in response to a photo of an Israeli soldier holding two naked Palestinians at gunpoint
  • “All of Gaza supports terrorism. All of Gaza is dead”
  • “[W]ipe Gaza off the map”
• Tomer Yosefi (an Israeli player of Polissya Zhytomyr of the Ukrainian Premier League) stated:
  • “I only have hope that this time there will be no concessions and there will be no drop of morality in the IDF and we’ll erase Gaza permanently...”
• Ofir Davidzada (a player in Maccabi Tel Aviv FC of the Israeli Premier League): has posted the following on social media
  • Images of himself in the IDF
  • Cartoon graphics depicting Israeli soldiers as heroes and Palestinians as terrorists who use women as “human shields”, with the comment: “It’s a difference between us and them”
• Manor Solomon (a player for the Israeli national team and Tottenham Hotspur FC of the English Premier League), an IDF reservist:
  • replied to All Eyes on Rafah meme that was going around social media to draw attention to Israel’s attack and mass destruction of Rafah that was condemned by the international community (as IDF was burning refugees in tents and carpet bombing safe zones with an intensity that left one Palestinian child beheaded and others charred). His reply included a meme that said: “Where were your eyes on October 7”. Due to backlash, he locked his account. He also made a “Stand with Israel” video.
• Oscar Gloukh (a player for the Israeli national team and AFC Ajax of the Eredivisie league, the top tier of Dutch football) stated:
  • “I want to dedicate this cover to all the soldiers that are protecting our country right now! On soldiers my age. While I'm playing and having fun they are fighting for our country with guns. Thank you to the Israeli Defense Forces The strongest army in the world I love you guys! Go israel”

Many other players have also made deeply problematic statements, including expressing support for Israel as a nation and the Israeli military as an institution. Former soccer players have also expressed genocidal intent. For instance, Danny Neumann, a former soccer player and now sports commentator stated, “They must be exterminated, all of them must be killed,” and further called for the complete destruction of Gaza to create new settlements.

Racism in the Israeli clubs and their support for the actions of the IDF

• Maccabi Netayna FC (football club in the Israeli Premier League) regularly posts photos of IDF tanks, war planes, war ships, and helicopters as they shoot rockets, etc. with the caption “together we will win,” as IDF kills hundreds of thousands of civilians. They also invite soldiers and reservists that are currently involved in war crimes in Gaza to send photos of themselves on their social network and be included in Maccabi Netanya FA story, or to record a video of themselves on the frontlines so the club can re-post on its social media or show it prior to  matches.

• Beitar Jerusalem FC (football club in the Israeli Premier League) has been raising funds to purchase equipment for the Israeli soldiers and reservists; visiting Israeli soldiers in hospitals who came back from Gaza where they were engaged in actions amounting to war crimes and extermination; giving “heroic IDF” equipment, food, and donations and opportunities to take photos with them in military uniforms and with machine guns; honouring many Israeli soldiers who were killed in Gaza; posting “we’re here for you” to soldiers and reservists who were given a special online form to make various requests on the club’s website, with assurance that  and Beitar Jerusalem FC will take care of it for them and the note “together we will win”; inviting fans who are in reserve Israeli military service for an “appreciation and enforcement meeting” which they organised together with the city of Jerusalem; calling those in the Israeli military who killed around 250 Palestinian civilians, including children, and killed three Israeli hostages, in order to release four hostages, “heroic soldiers,” etc.

• Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (football club in the Israeli Premier League) is heavily involved in supporting Israeli soldiers, including organising dinners for them, inspirational talks between its players and Israeli soldiers, and events for Israeli military personnel through the club’s foundation (with the public narrative that “one of the important missions this season of the Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Foundation is to help support Lone Soldiers in Israel”); the club’s employees who are also reservists in the military, sent the club a motivational video message (which was shown to the players) – in the video intro, employees of the club asked the players to win because “it would also make [Israeli soldiers] happy”; raising funds for the Israeli military; posting a request for tagged photos on its official Facebook page, using a photo of an Israeli soldier wearing a Maccabi Tel Aviv FC scarf – this inspired many Israeli soldiers in Gaza to take photos with machine guns, military bulldozers in the background, and levelled surroundings while holding the club’s scarf against the devastated Gaza, including this photo of a soldier standing on a tank and holding club’s scarf. 

• Bnei Yehuda FC congratulates youth players on the occasion of their enlistment into the Israeli military; posted in honour of an injured Israeli soldier with his photo from the military bulldozer appearing to destroy Palestinian homes in Gaza and with an inscription on the shovel of the bulldozer that says “Gaza will be killed”; reposted a photo of that bulldozer in Gaza with the scarf of the club attached to it. 

• Hapoel Acre FC and Hapoel Hfar Saba FC pays tribute to injured Israeli soldiers (i.e., people who were involved in war crimes in Gaza). 

• The ceremony held by an Arab club Bnei Sakhnin FC, an Israeli Premier League team, “triggered a furious response from several Israeli cabinet ministers, who called for the team to be punished.” In the ceremony, it mentioned a former MP who was suspected of collaborating with Hezbollah. The IFA followed and said it had “decided to take disciplinary action against Bnei Sakhnin” after the club honoured those who had helped secure a Qatari donation to build its home ground stadium. The IFA said the club had violated two of its regulations and was guilty of “unbecoming conduct” and of “taking a stance, while on the pitch, on disputed political and public issues”.

Israeli soccer clubs also support the Israeli military and their genocidal assault. Israeli clubs from top to bottom leagues are providing various practical support (equipment, etc) to the IDF, advertising it, posting photos of Israeli soldiers in Gaza with clubs’ scarfs against the background of destroyed homes, posting photos of war ships, tanks, war planes, firing helicopters, with a note “we will win”, etc. Israeli Premier League CEO also posted a photo of devastated Gaza from a media source that said: “Israel must fight on”.

Israeli fans

The IFA has repeatedly failed in taking meaningful and effective action against discrimination and racism, in the areas under its jurisdiction. The clearest example of this is Beitar Jerusalem FC for which the Economist reported: “Supporters of the football club proudly sing about how it is ‘the most racist team’ in Israel. They scream epithets, such as ‘terrorist’, at the [Palestinians] who play for opposing squads. Though [Palestinians] make up 21% of Israel’s population, Beitar Jerusalem has never itself fielded one, in keeping with fans’ claim to be ‘forever pure’”. When the club surprisingly bought two Muslim players from Chechenia, it ignited the most racist campaign in the history of Israeli soccer. Beitar Jerusalem FC continued to embrace racism, unchecked. Yet, no serious measures were ever taken against the club. Last year, Israeli soccer fans of Maccabi Haifa displayed a banner during the Israeli league match stating that one Israeli child is more valuable than one Palestinian child. They often chant “Death to Arabs”, as seen with Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, Beitar Jerusalem fans, and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam. In March 2024, at a UEFA Conference League match in Greece supporters of Israeli football club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, beat up an Arab fan – he ended up unconscious and hospitalised. They also attacked another man holding a Palestinian flag. In 2025, Amsterdam City Council voted Maccabi Tel Aviv “undesirable”, de facto preventing the club from playing in the city.

The effect of Israeli occupation, apartheid and genocide on Palestinian soccer

To date, Israeli has killed and injured hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. While Israel has officially killed more than 65,344 people and injured over 166,795 at the time of this letter (confirmed by Gaza Health Ministry and Israeli military Chief of Staff), the true numbers are  much higher, as noted by Israeli officials and academics themselves. One Israeli professor used Israeli military data to reveal 377,000 Palestinians unaccounted for. More recently, Dr. Richard Hill and Dr. Gideon Polya estimated that between October 7, 2023, and April 25, 2025, Israel killed approximately 680,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

Specifically, Israel has killed at least 724 athletes, including 402 soccer players, of which 103 were children. For instance, Israel killed 10 teammates from the Al-Mohtarifin Football Academy in Gaza City.

Israel has also destroyed 288 sports and scouting facilities in Palestine. This included former Palestine national team player Suleiman Al-Obaid, known as the “Palestinian Pelé”, who was killed while waiting for humanitarian aid. Ismail Abu Dan, another prominent Palestinian soccer player was killed while waiting in line for food. In many cases, such as that of Mohammed and Mahmoud Khalifa, football players were killed alongside their entire families when Israel bombed their homes.

The PFA personnel is working under impossible conditions. Israeli Foreign Minister Katz publicly threatened the President of the Palestine Football Association with imprisonment for exercising rights under FIFA Statutes and requesting an item to be placed on agenda. General Secretary of the PFA and other administrators have been detained and questioned by the Israeli military when travelling with the team for international matches. The Israeli military fires gas bombs at the Headquarters of the PFA on a weekly basis for no reason.

Due to increased Israeli military and settler violence, the PFA has not been able to organise a soccer league in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem since October 2023. It is safe to say that Palestinian soccer is taking its last breaths. Meanwhile, FIFA and its member associations actively disregard the very principles and objectives on which they are founded, to shield the IFA from accountability.

International law obligations of Canada Soccer stem from its own By-Laws

International legal obligations of Canada Soccer and FIFA apply by virtue of their obligations under their own regulations. In addition to commitments to respect “all internationally recognized human rights and […] strive to promote the protection of these rights” and non-discrimination provisions in Canada Soccer and FIFA Statues, Article 2 of Human Rights Policy provides that “[w]here FIFA’s operations extend to situations of armed conflict, it will also respect the standards of international humanitarian law”. Internationally recognised human rights and international humanitarian law are clear.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) released their findings that Israel’s occupation and settlement of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza is illegal and amounts to annexation under customary international law. Israel is therefore under obligation to “cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

The ICJ found that Israel’s policies and practices in the West Bank and East Jerusalem amount to racial segregation and apartheid, in violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It also confirmed that Israel implements a range of systemic discriminatory measures in relation to residence and building permits, freedom of movement, while demolishing Palestinian property contrary to international law.

In relation to entities such as FIFA, the ICJ also explicitly noted that international organizations are under a duty not to recognize as legal or render aid or assistance for the situation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel in the oPt.

Further, in addition to the ICJ’s January 2024 decision finding Israel was committing a “plausible genocide” in Gaza, the UN Commission confirmed in September 2025 that “Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” They stated that “[i]t is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”

Dozens of binding and non-binding UN resolutions had confirmed that

• A just and lasting peace in the Middle East should include the application of both the following principles: 1. “Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.” “Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force” (UNSC Resolution 242 (1967)).
• UNSC Resolution 465 (1980) “deplore[d] the decision of the Government of Israel officially to support Israeli settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967” and expressed deep concern by the “practices of the Israeli authorities in implementing settlements policy in the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and its consequences for the local Arab and Palestinian population.” It drew attention to “the grave consequences which the settlements policy is bound to have on any attempt to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
• UN SC Resolution 2334 (2016) stressed that the construction and expansion of settlements, transfer of Israeli settlers, confiscation of land, demolition of homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law and relevant resolutions.”
• UN GA Resolution of 18 September 2024 demanded that Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, evacuates all settlers and dismantles parts of wall that are situated in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, within 12 months.
• UN GA Resolution 32/161 (1977)) is applicable directly to FIFA: international organizations and specialized agencies must not “recognize, or co-operate with or assist in any manner in, any measures undertaken by Israel to exploit the resources of the occupied territories or to effect any changes in the demographic composition or geographic character or institutional structure of those territories.”

Contrary to the clear position of international legal institutions on parameters of international law, FIFA continues to render aid and assistance to the IFA, recognise its illegal settlement clubs by including them into the pyramid structure of global soccer together with Canadian clubs, leagues, and federation, thereby assisting in normalisation of life in illegal settlements. According to Human Rights Watch, FIFA contributes towards illegal occupation and colonisation of Palestine by bolstering illegal settlements and is “sponsoring games on a seized land.”

Under Articles 1, 2, and 3 of FIFA’s Human Rights Policy, FIFA has committed to upholding human rights responsibilities as provided in the UNGPs. UNGPs apply to the private sector and mandate human rights due diligence, including continually assessing impacts on human rights due diligence, taking steps to mitigate harm, refraining from activities that directly or indirectly support harms, and communicating transparently about how human rights impacts are evaluated and addressed. The UNGPs “make clear that FIFA has the responsibility not to enable, facilitate, or profit from serious violations of international law. Israeli settlements are illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention and contribute to serious human rights violations.”

Discrimination between Palestine and Ukraine

In 2022, it took FIFA only four days to suspend Russia after it invaded Ukraine. In February 2022, Canada Soccer announced it would refuse to play Russia on the basis of its invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, Canada Soccer stated: "In steadfast support of Ukraine, its people and Ukrainian-Canadians who represent the third-largest Ukrainian population outside Ukraine and Russia, Canada Soccer, its member associations and clubs will not compete at any level against Russia until sovereignty and territorial integrity are restored.” It is clear that FIFA and Canada Soccer recognize their legal obligations in the face of grave international law violations and are capable of taking immediate action. International support for Ukraine from FIFA and many other organisations was overwhelming, and Ukrainian soccer received substantial financial assistance, players were given opportunities to practice and live abroad, and their cause was advertised on soccer pitches.

This clearly stands in stark contrast to the utter lack of action taken by the FIFA and Canada Soccer, or any assistance for Palestinian soccer in the face of unimaginable horrors. It also represents discrimination contrary to Article 4 in FIFA Statutes and Article 5 in Canada Soccer By-Laws.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The breaches of FIFA Statutes warrant the immediate suspension of Israeli teams, players, and the IFA. for complicity in maintaining the illegal occupation, supporting the illegal settlements, policies of discrimination and apartheid, racism, and incitement of genocide. A large majority of the Israeli football community at all levels and in all roles have served in Israeli military and are active members.

When politicisation of the legal and regulatory issues at the global level of football and grave human rights violations become undeniable, it becomes incumbent upon individual member associations, such as Canada Soccer, to take action in order to safeguard their statutory obligations and what remains of the soul of the global game. In the words of FairSquare, “football has immense transformative potential, and this could and should be harnessed for social good.” There can be no social good in normalising apartheid, genocide, and brutal occupation by permitting those complicit in enforcing such policies to participate in international sport. These inhumane practices to which Israeli players, clubs and IFA contribute personally and professionally, should be fought with all available means and any contribution towards settler-colonialism should be firmly rejected. We therefore recommend that Canada Soccer:

1. Publicly demands and invests efforts to ensure that FIFA suspend the Israel Football Association (IFA), Israeli clubs, and those players that engaged in hate speech and/or are soldiers and reservists in the IDF.
2. Refuses to host the 2026 World Cup in good faith while the IFA remains a Member of FIFA.
3. Refuses to play any matches against the Israeli national team.
4. Ends any and all financial support for the IFA.
5. Further, if Canada Soccer has financially supported the IFA in any way (e.g., sponsorships), Canada Soccer must make reparations to the Palestinian communities affected by this sponsorship.