Israel has 'brought football into disrepute', says Fifa

Israel has 'brought football into disrepute', says Fifa Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Fri, 03/20/2026 - 12:37 Israel Football Association is condemned by Fifa's disciplinary committee, but is not banned and is fined just $190,000 Fans of Beitar Jerusalem FC show their support during the team's training in Jerusalem on 11 December 2020 (AFP) Off Fifa has accused the Israel Football Association (IFA) of bringing “football into disrepute” and said that it is practising a “de facto system of segregation” by excluding Palestinians from football infrastructure in Israeli settlements. In a report released on Thursday, world football’s governing body found that the IFA had “failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem” for “persistent and well-documented racist behaviour”. The Israeli club’s notorious fanbase maintain a de facto ban on Palestinian and Arab players and have a well-documented history of racism, with chants including “Let the IDF win and fuck the Arabs”, and “Here comes the most racist team in the country”.