A kiss in Spain vs. apartheid in Palestine: FIFA’s selective morality
FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Paul Salvatori writes in The Palestine Chronicle:
On the heels of his kissing, without consent, footballer Jenni Hermoso, FIFA was swift to suspend Luis Rubiales — former coach of the Spanish football team.
Its principled decision, in keeping with FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, to do so was formally announced on August 23 and only days after the sexual assault.
The announcement stressed that Rubiales’ suspension, apart from disciplining the former coach, was to uphold the “fundamental rights of the national football team player Ms. Jennifer Hermoso and the good order of the [FIFA] disciplinary proceedings before this disciplinary body”.
There is of course nothing objectionable to this when considered alone. FIFA, as does any morally responsible sports entity, has an obligation to protect the rights of all its players (in the case of Hermoso, specifically, from sexual harm), as well as the integrity or “good order” of the means through which it actually does so.
When it fails to do that, human rights violations are allowed to occur without those responsible for them being held accountable.
FIFA, in disciplining Rubiales and also moving quickly to address a host of other human rights violations in recent memory, may appear not to be doing this. This is, however, immediately thrown into question when one considers FIFA’s consistent failure to discipline Israel for its sustained attacks, including those that have been fatal, against Palestinian footballers.
As human rights organisations Friends of Sabeel and Just Peace Advocates observe, Israel — contrary to international law — hampers the movements and travel of Palestinian football teams, prevents the building of Palestinian football facilities in the occupied West Bank and arrests (without cause) Palestinian footballers.