October 5, 2016
Mr. Sunil Gulati
President, U.S. Soccer Federation
1801 S. Prairie Ave.
Chicago, IL 60616
Mr. Gulati and Esteemed Members of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors :
We write to you in order to highlight our concerns about an agenda item that will presumably
be addressed during the FIFA Council meeting October 13-14, 2016. Our organization - the Arab
American Institute – represents 3.7 million U.S. citizens of Arab descent, many of whom are
avid soccer supporters. We hope that you will consider our concerns about FIFA’s relationship
with soccer clubs in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian land. As the President of U.S.
Soccer, we hope you will consider addressing this agenda item with our concerns in mind.
By way of background, there are at least five Israeli football clubs in West Bank settlements that
play in the Israeli football league. However, the occupied West Bank is considered occupied
land under international law, which falls under the Palestinian Football Association. The
settlement club and games played on their fields are therefore in violation of FIFA’s Statutes
according to which clubs from one member association cannot play on the territory of another
member association without its and FIFA’s consent. This is a simple, clear, and important
statute of FIFA meant to protect the sport from becoming an instrument or victim of politics.
This statute should be enforced without exception. Just as FIFA ruled that Crimean football
clubs could not play as part of the Russian league after the 2014 Russia’s occupation of Crimea,
so too must FIFA stand by its rules with regard to Israeli teams that are based in internationally
recognized Palestinian territory.
In addition, we think it is important to note that U.S. policy under successive Democratic and
Republican Presidents has held Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be an obstacle to peace
and therefore an obstructing factor to the advancement of U.S. values in the region. U.S. law
continues to uphold an important distinction between Israeli settlements in the West Bank and
Israel proper. As amply documented by the United Nations, Israel’s expansion of settlements in
Palestinian territory leads to widespread violations of human rights. Supporting settlement
clubs is also incompatible with FIFA’s newly strengthened commitment to promote and respect
human rights.
FIFA’s decision and the U.S. soccer position on this issue carries significant importance beyond
the football world. As FIFA Statutes seek to do the greatest good in promoting peace and
respect for human rights across the world, we urge you to continue reaching towards this goal
by pushing FIFA to enforce its own statutes on this issue. FIFA should not allow these
settlement teams to be members if they remain based in occupied territory without the
permission of the Palestinian government. Matches that are played in Israeli settlements should
likewise be stripped of FIFA association.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We’d be pleased to continue this discussion if you
have any further questions or comments. We look to your leadership in the FIFA structure to
assure that rules are enforced, human rights are promoted instead of violated, and tha t soccer
is increasingly a tool for diplomatic gain, not loss.
Respectfully,
Dr. James J. Zogby
President
Arab American Institute
Maya Berry
Executive Director
Arab American Institute