Csányi Sándor Úr ! A Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség elnöke részére

 MAGYAR-IZRAELI BARÁTI TÁRSASÁGOK ÉS KÖRÖK   ORSZÁGOS SZÖVETSÉGE

National Federation of the Hungarian-Israeli Friendship Societies 

4025 Debrecen, Piac u. 11-15. sz. Tel.: 30/9781-682, www.izraelbarat.hupont.hu,  kolaci@freemail.hu

MAGYAR-IZRAELI BARÁTI TÁRSASÁGOK ÉS KÖRÖK     

ORSZÁGOS SZÖVETSÉGE

National Federation of the Hungarian-Israeli Friendship Societies

4025 Debrecen, Piac u. 11-15. sz. Tel.: 30/9781-682, www.izraelbarat.hupont.hu,  kolaci@freemail.hu

____________________________________________________________________________

To attention for: Mr Sándor Csányi

President of the Hungarian Football Association

Debrecen, Budapest, 2015. május 13.

Palestinian attempt to suspend the Israel Football Association from FIFA

Dear Mr Sándor Csányi, President

We are writing to you to express our concern about the Palestinian attempt to suspend the IFA from the FIFA, that will be treated on the FIFA Congress of May 29^th in Zurich.

In recent years the Palestinian Football Association, led by Mr Jabril Rajoub (senior member of Fatah and past head of the Preventive Security Force in the West Bank; current chair of the PFA and of the Palestinian Olympic Committee) has repeatedly accused Israel of preventing freedom of movement and sports activities of Palestinians, particularly of Palestinian football players.

At the 2013 FIFA Congress in Mauritius, it was decided that FIFA President Sepp Blatter would personally deal with the issue and attempt to mediate between the two sides. FIFA drafted a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) to regulate the relations between the Israeli association (IFA) and the PFA). The Israeli side accepted the MOU; the Palestinians refused to sign it.

At the 2014 FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo, the Palestinians again attempted to suspend Israeli membership in FIFA. It was decided, that the chair of the Cypriot Football Association, Costakis Koutsokoumnis, would be appointed by FIFA as a monitor and attempt to bridge the sides’ differences. He drafted a report with guidelines „for the movement of players, coaches, referees, officials and sports equipment to and from and within ‘Palestine’.”

The report, which was submitted at the beginning of 2015, determined that the claims of the PFA were political in nature and therefore not a subject for FIFA but for the governments.

According to the IFA, relations between the IFA and the PFA are regulated by a set of consensual rules and procedures for coordination between the two associations and for the submission and handling of requests dealing with movement of players and equipment, convening of sporting events, etc. Israel complies with its commitment to the agreed-upon procedure.

Despite the understandings and the mediation attempts described, on 19 March 2015, Mr Rajoub submitted an official request to the upcoming FIFA Congress to suspend Israel from the organization, or to place sanctions on its activities until it fulfills the following conditions:

1. Removal of all limits on free sporting activities, including freedom of movement of players and equipment, and cessation of damage to Palestinian sports facilities.
2. Removal from the IFA of five football teams from Judea and Samaria (West Bank), on the basis of the Palestinian claim that the area is „occupied” and therefore not under the authority of the Israeli association.
3. Meaningful efforts on the part of Israel to stop racism in Israeli football – such as the expression of racist sentiments, discrimination against Arab players, etc.

According to the FIFA charter, an association can be suspended only by a majority of 75% of the delegates present for the vote.

Such a move would have grave consequences, also in the political realm, and accordingly foiling it is of prime importance. Please take into consideration:

• The Israeli Football Association (IFA) has always been forthcoming in its treatment of every request by FIFA relating to complaints lodged in recent years by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
• An example of this is Israel’s full cooperation with the president of the Football Association in Cyprus, who was appointed in 2014 as monitor between the Israeli and Palestinian associations.
• The Cypriot official determined that the IFA has consistently taken positive steps to minimize the problems raised by the other party.
• The IFA concurs with the monitor’s conclusion that the problem is not connected either directly or indirectly with the conduct of the IFA, but rather with the relations between Israel and the PA. In other words, it’s not about sports but politics, and the discussion should take place between the governments and not in FIFA.
• Accordingly, the eligibility of Israeli players living in Judea and Samaria for membership in the IFA is also essentially a political issue that will be resolved automatically in a future political accord.
• There is no precedent for suspending a member of FIFA due to a political conflict. This has not been done in the case of other states in our region and in the world in which violent conflicts exist. Therefore, Israel should not be singled out for this discriminatory action.
• The IFA cannot bypass government policy in matters of national security. Every Palestinian complaint of the violation of Palestinian sportsmen’s freedom of movement was checked out by the appropriate Israeli authorities, and it was found in every case that the sportsmen involved had some connection to terrorist activities.
• Despite the fact that a proper procedure exists for dealing with requests from the PFA, the Palestinians purposefully postpone submitting their requests, in violation of the procedure established, in order to create pressure on Israel. Nonetheless, the Israeli side makes great efforts to approve the PFA’s requests, and most of them are in fact approved.
• The Palestinians are attempting to create a political agenda in an area which is meant to be entirely apolitical. Instead of creating sportsmanlike partnerships and encounters, they are trying to generate dissension and confrontation.  In contrast, the IFA is actively working to bring Israelis and Arabs closer together. On the Israeli teams Jews and Arabs play side by side and friendly games take place between Israelis and Palestinians.

For these reasons, we politely ask you

• to use your professional authority and influence to remove the Palestinian proposal from the Congress agenda and
• alternatively to use your professional authority and influence to achieve that the delegation of the hungaryan football association will vote against the Palestinian proposal.

With your support, you help to prevent a suspension for political reasons unprecedented in the history of FIFA, unfairly singling out Israel.

Sincerely

László Kovács

President of the National Federation of the

Hungarian-Israeli Friendship Societies