FIFA president Gianni Infantino has insisted that world football’s governing body “cannot solve geopolitical problems” amid mounting calls for Israel to be suspended from international competitions over the war in Gaza.
Speaking after a FIFA Council meeting on Thursday, Infantino stressed that the organisation’s role is to unite rather than divide.
“At FIFA, we are committed to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world,” he said. “Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.”
He added: “FIFA cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.”
The remarks come as pressure builds on FIFA and UEFA to bar Israel from international competitions — a move that would mirror the decision to ban Russia in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine. At the time, FIFA moved swiftly to exclude Russia, despite the country having hosted the World Cup just four years earlier.
In 2024, FIFA ordered a legal review of a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel over the Gaza conflict, signalling that the debate is already embedded within the organisation’s governance framework.
Infantino, however, stopped short of suggesting that such action is on the cards. Instead, he underlined football’s symbolic role in troubled times: “The most important message football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.”
