The Israel Football Association has decided to officially withdraw its backing of Gianni Infantino for his re-election as head of FIFA. The move was made public following a letter sent by Moshe Shino Zuares, president of the Israeli body and a member of UEFA’s Executive Committee, to the headquarters of world football’s top governing body.
In the letter, seen by Sky News, Zuares says recent events have triggered an “unprecedented crisis of confidence” between UEFA’s vision and FIFA’s when it comes to global governance.
The official describes this rift as “deep, substantial and rooted in principle”. Given this situation, the federation believes the only prudent option is to withdraw the support it had initially signed off on for the Swiss president’s term.
An unpleasant episode involving Israel, Palestine and Infantino at the last FIFA Congress
This institutional split adds to the controversy that unfolded during the last FIFA Congress in Vancouver. At the event, Gianni Infantino tried to stage a public greeting on stage between the leaders of Palestinian and Israeli football, but Palestinian president Jibril Rajoub flatly refused to shake hands with the representative of the Israeli federation.
That tense moment on stage laid bare a deep political and institutional divide that Infantino himself was unable to mend. Israel’s decision to withdraw its support confirms that the cracks at the top of international football are becoming ever more pronounced.
Hope on the Israeli side
Despite this forceful step back, the Israeli federation still hopes to resume dialogue between the confederations in order to restore a shared roadmap for governing the world’s most popular sport.
This decision is another setback for Infantino, who is now facing a key rupture within UEFA at a time of marked political and institutional tension in international football.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.