While Russia faced swift bans from international sport over its invasion of Ukraine, Israeli clubs continue to compete globally despite ongoing military operations in Gaza and Iran – a silence that Turkish sports lawyer Anıl Dinçer calls “a glaring double standard” and a troubling inconsistency at the heart of global sports governance.
Dinçer, an expert in sports law, compared the handling of Israel’s military actions with the rapid global sanctions imposed on Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “Russia was hit with sweeping bans – teams expelled, federations blocked, players allowed to leave. With Israel, we get silence,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA).
“FIFA acted swiftly against Russia. Why not Israel?” Dinçer asked. “The sporting world is watching – and waiting.”
Following Israeli strikes on Iranian soil – and its continuing assault on Gaza – Dinçer said global football has again been dragged into geopolitical tensions. He noted that while foreign players in both Israel and Iran face growing uncertainty, FIFA has yet to offer provisions like temporary transfers or contract protections.
“If the war escalates, FIFA may allow one-season loan transfers, as it did for players in Russia,” Dinçer said. “But right now, there’s no move – not even a discussion.”
Dinçer stressed that Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law have spanned years but have never triggered the kind of sporting penalties imposed on Russia.
“We’re seeing systematic human rights violations. Yet no sports sanctions. Why the hesitation?” he asked.
In 2022, FIFA and UEFA swiftly suspended the Russian national teams and clubs. But today, despite similar – or worse – actions from Israel, no such steps have been taken.
“This is a textbook case of selective enforcement,” Dinçer said. “The message it sends is damaging – to athletes, to fans, and to the integrity of the game.”
Dinçer also revealed that the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) has made three formal requests – in 2013, 2024, and 2025 – asking FIFA to penalize Israel for its actions.
Yet FIFA has refused to convene its congress to discuss them.
“These aren't just ignored – they’re buried,” Dinçer said. “FIFA acts like the requests don’t exist.”
Beyond football, Dinçer framed the issue as a broader ethical failure. FIFA’s core principles – fair play, equality, and justice – are undermined, he said, by selective inaction.
“As a lawyer and as a human being, I find this deeply troubling,” he said. “FIFA is failing not just legally, but morally.”
He warned that any further delay in addressing the situation, especially as the 2024–25 season approaches, will deepen public mistrust in global sports governance.
Dinçer concluded with a sharp caution: if governing bodies continue to ignore Israeli actions, they risk shattering their credibility.
“Every decision they fail to take chips away at their legitimacy,” he said. “Football can’t afford another scandal rooted in silence.”
