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A formal complaint was filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday against FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. The complaint accuses them of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The complaint was submitted by 16 entities, including Palestinian clubs and footballers, as well as international organizations such as "Irish Sport for Palestine", "Scottish Sport for Palestine", "Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste", "Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor" and "Sports Scholars for Justice in Palestine".
The essence of the complaint
According to the document submitted, the complaint concerns relations between FIFA, UEFA and the Israel Football Association (IFA). The focus is on six football clubs located in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, territories that the United Nations considers illegal.
However, these clubs are officially recognized by the IFA and participate in the Israeli lower leagues.
Allegations of statutory violations
According to the complainants, recognizing clubs operating in the territory of another federation without its consent constitutes a violation of the statutes of FIFA and UEFA. The complaint notes that, despite the fact that the issue was raised in September 2016 following a complaint by the organization “Human Rights Watch”, no sanctions have been taken against the Israeli Football Federation.
Open issue
There has been no public response from FIFA, UEFA or their presidents regarding this complaint. It also remains unclear whether the International Criminal Court will accept the case for review and what the next procedural steps might be.
The case is expected to bring back into focus the debate over the involvement of international sports institutions in issues related to political and territorial conflicts.
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