Israel football team cleared to play at the Olympics after Fifa delays decision

World governing body says 'more time is needed' to consider Palestine Football Association's proposal to suspend Israeli federation

Fifa revealed the initial expected timeframe for a decision has been extended, following requests from both parties over their submissions. EPA

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The Israeli men's football team has been cleared to play at the Paris Olympics after a decision on whether to agree to Palestine’s call to suspend the federation was delayed by Fifa.

In April, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) proposed the sanctioning and suspension of Israel on the grounds of human rights and humanitarian law violations committed in the Gaza Strip.

Football's world governing body had been set to make a decision last Saturday at an extraordinary council meeting after asking for an independent legal assessment of the Palestinian proposal. That decision would have come just four days before the start of the Olympic football tournament, where Israel have been drawn into a group with Japan, Mali and Paraguay.

However, Fifa released a statement saying "more time is needed to conclude this process with due care and completeness", paving the way for Israel to compete in Paris.

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war which followed, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.

A separate report this week by lawyers who specialise in international law called on Fifa to ban Israel for violating several of Fifa's statutes related to human rights and humanitarian objectives.

The PFA called for a vote to exclude Israel at Fifa Congress, but only drew support from the Jordanian FA.

Fifa revealed the initial expected timeframe for a decision has been extended, following requests from both parties over their submissions.

A Fifa statement read: “An independent legal assessment of the Palestinian Football Association proposals against the Israel Football Association was due to be provided to Fifa Council by 20 July 2024.

“Following requests for extension from both parties to submit their respective positions, duly granted by Fifa, more time is needed to conclude this process with due care and completeness.

“The assessment will be shared with the Fifa Council for any subsequent decision no later than 31 August 2024.

“Fifa would like to thank both member associations for their ongoing support and co-operation.”

The football tournament at the Paris Olympics begins with the group stage from July 24, with the men’s gold medal match set to take place on August 9.

Israel have been drawn into Group D alongside Japan, Mali and Paraguay, with the top two nations set to advance through to the knockout stage.