Rachel Liel, NIF’s Executive Director in Israel, sent a letter to the president of FIFA, soccer’s international governing body. Liel urged FIFA to reject the effort to suspend Israel’s participation in FIFA sponsored events.
“All of the Israeli Football Association leagues offer full equality between Jews, Arabs and other sectors of Israeli society,” she wrote.
For years, NIF has run a comprehensive program to fight incidents of racism in Israeli soccer, in cooperation with the Israeli Football Association. The program — Kick Racism out of Israeli Soccer — offers recognition to teams, and fans, that demonstrate a commitment to tolerance over the course of the season. It also condemns and supports sanctions for clubs that fail to confront racism.