AFC backs Palestine bid to suspend Israel, scraps term limits

BANGKOK The Asian Football Confederation gave its backing to Palestine’s proposal to suspend Israel from FIFA due to the ongoing war in Gaza at its congress in Bangkok on Thursday, as the regional body also abolished term limits for its senior office bearers.

AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa voiced his support for the Palestine Football Association’s motion ahead of Friday’s FIFA congress, which seeks to “adopt immediate and appropriate sanctions against Israeli teams”.

“The AFC is only as strong as its members and when one suffers, all its other members are affected,” Sheikh Salman told delegates.

“The AFC stands together with the Palestine FA, and we join them in seeking effective football-related solutions to the grievances raised by the Palestine FA in their proposal.

“It is our duty to support the Palestine FA for a swift and effective resolution in line with the rules, regulations and statutes of the AFC and FIFA.”

The proposal was sent by the Palestinians to FIFA on March 11 and will be discussed during the body’s annual gathering after being added to the agenda with the support of the Algerian, Jordanian, Syrian and Yemeni federations.

AFC delegates stood for a minute’s silence in remembrance of the victims of the Israel-Gaza war and were shown a video produced by the Palestine FA highlighting the destruction caused by Israeli forces.

Gaza has been devastated by almost constant bombardment and a subsequent invasion since an incursion into Israeli territory by Hamas on Oct. 7 left almost 1,200 dead and hundreds taken hostage.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino touched on the matter in remarks to delegates as he called for a united front in efforts to deal with issues both within and outside the sport.

“We are all suffering with what is going on in Palestine. We pray for the mothers who lose their children and we pray for the mothers who lose their children everywhere in the world,” he said.

“Football can do only very little because to change situations everywhere in the world which are tragic, all we can do is to show unity because football is what unites everyone.”

The move came as delegates approved a motion to remove term limits for the president and members of the body’s executive committee, allowing them to rule indefinitely, scrapping reforms brought in after the scandals that rocked FIFA a decade ago.

Only Australia and Jordan voted against the motion to eradicate the restrictions, which had seen office bearers limited to three terms of four years in their positions.

The change paves the way for Sheikh Salman, currently in his third term as AFC president, to seek re-election in 2027 when he had been due to step down.

The Bahraini royal said in a statement that the changes were a “clear signal of our intent to ensure that we remain a model confederation that continues to uphold the highest ethical standards and best governance practices for the future generations of our great game”.

The AFC said in a statement that it is “committed to good governance, transparency and integrity in its operations”.

“There are robust checks and balances within the AFC which acknowledge the changing dynamics of football governance and enable the AFC to operate more effectively in a rapidly evolving landscape,” the statement said.

Sheikh Salman took the reins in 2013 with the AFC in disarray after his predecessor, Qatari businessman Mohamed bin Hammam, was banned from football for life following bribery claims and conflict-of-interest violations.

The huge corruption scandal that engulfed FIFA in 2015 led to governance changes such as term limits being introduced by a number of regional confederations.

Removing presidents after no more than 12 years were then seen as essential to curb networks of patronage and loyalty that can enable corruption and poor governance.

However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been allowed by a subsequent statutes amendment he oversaw to stay in office for 15 years until 2031, and UEFA voted in February to ensure its president Aleksander Ceferin can seek to stay beyond his 11th year in 2027. Ceferin later said he will not stand for re-election.

Even the International Olympic Committee is still weighing a members’ request last October to change legal rules to let their president, Thomas Bach, seek a third election next year. That would go beyond the 12-year limit set after the Salt Lake City bidding corruption scandal 25 years ago.

The AFC has trumped both FIFA and UEFA in removing all barriers to its president and executive committee members staying in place.

One legal barrier still remains for Sheikh Salman at FIFA. Its statutes currently block him from continuing beyond 2031 as a FIFA vice president and member of its ruling council.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2024