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Match not over as West Bank football claim moves to court

Palestinian FA calls for Israel's expulsion if teams continue to play in Israeli leagues

November 2, 2017 15:10
A player for Aroni Ariel, a West Bank football club that plays in the Israeli league
1 min read

When world football’s governing body refused to discuss Palestinian demands to ban Israel over Jewish West Bank teams in its leagues, many saw it a triumph.

The Palestinian side had said the five teams represented areas that were not part of Israel and should be expelled from Israeli professional leagues.

But the match is far from won for Israel as play now moves to the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Palestinians claim Fifa's argument that "it must remain neutral regarding political matters".

Fifa refused to discuss the matter, saying “must remain neutral with regard to political matters”, but the Palestinians claim this contravenes Fifa regulations.