FIFA, the governing body of world football, did not reach a conclusion on Thursday regarding the Palestinian request to suspend Israel. Instead, it initiated committee investigations to guide a future decision.

During FIFA's congress in Bangkok in May, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) urged for the suspension of its Israeli counterpart and the exclusion of Israeli teams from FIFA events.

Initially, FIFA planned to convene an extraordinary session of its ruling council before July 20 to review an independent legal analysis and determine the next steps. However, this deadline was extended to allow legal experts additional time to finalize their report.

On Thursday, at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, the council accepted the recommendations and findings from the legal analysis. It resolved that its disciplinary committee would be tasked with investigating the discrimination allegations put forth by the PFA.

Additionally, the FIFA governance, audit, and compliance committee will be responsible for examining the participation of Israeli football teams in competitions allegedly located in Palestinian territories and will subsequently advise the FIFA Council on this matter.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated, “The FIFA Council has conducted due diligence on this highly sensitive issue and, following a comprehensive evaluation, we have adhered to the recommendations of the independent experts.”

“The ongoing violence in the region confirms that, above all considerations… we need peace.

“As we remain extremely shocked by what is happening, and our thoughts are with those who are suffering, we urge all parties to restore peace to the region with immediate effect.”