By Can Erozden
Former Australia and Crystal Palace player Craig Foster urged world football's governing body on Friday to suspend Israel for attacks on the Gaza Strip ahead of next week's FIFA Congress.
"The 74th FIFA Congress is next week. There are calls for a suspension of Israel per FIFA’s statutory human rights commitments pending compliance with the ICJ (International Court of Justice) measures to prevent genocide. I support them. And call on the football community to do likewise," Foster wrote on X.
FIFA confirmed that the Congress will be held May 17 in Bangkok as 211 member associations will gather to vote on key issues, including the host nation or nations for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
"As reportedly over 35,000 people have already been killed in Gaza, that's an entire stadium of people, gone. Reportedly 20,000 women and children and around 100 professional football players in what the International Court of Justice has deemed as plausible genocide.
"That simply means that enough signs are evident, including intent to invoke the duty we all have whether governments or individuals to prevent genocide," the 55-year-old said in a video on X.
He said there are "600,000 kids in Rafah and many of (them) love football" but FIFA keeps silent on the issue and it has not done anything to sanction the Israeli football association despite the country's attack on Gaza since October.
"The Palestine Football Association has called for an urgent hearing next week and 12 associations from the West Asian Football Federation for the immediate suspension of Israel until hostilities cease. I support these demands along with the release of all hostages and accountability for all parties for war crimes," he said.
Foster added that he has written to the Australian football body to ask for their support, and urged the football community in Australia and fans around the world to support.
"Please write to your federation and to FIFA," he said and noted that European football's governing body, UEFA, and FIFA banned Russia in 2022 for Moscow's war on Ukraine, and South Africa in 1961 for apartheid. Yugoslavia was banned from EURO 1992 and the 1994 FIFA World Cup for the Yugoslav Wars.
Foster amassed 29 international caps and scored nine goals for the Australian national football team. He played for Portsmouth and Crystal Palace while he was in England. Foster, who is now a human rights activist, retired in 2003.
Separately, the Palestinian Football Association said Thursday that at least 265 Palestinian sportsmen have been killed in Israeli attacks since October.
Jibril Rajoub, head of the association, previously told reporters that victims include "players, administrators and technical staff" and dozens of athletes remain under the rubble, and many are also "held in Israeli jails."
Rajoub said the association has submitted a draft resolution to FIFA to bring Israel to accountability.
He said Palestine cannot "organize a league or even host FIFA World Cup qualifiers"
"Israel destroyed all sports institutions in Gaza and turned them into detention facilities similar to Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons," he added.
According to Palestinian figures, more than 55 sports facilities have been destroyed in Israeli attacks, with 38 in Gaza.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which killed less than 1,200 people.
More than 34,900 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 78,500 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.