EJP | News | Controversy over FIFA's questioning of Israeli army action

	Saturday, July 04, 2009 12 Tamuz, 5769

News

France

Germany

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

EU-Israel affairs

US 2008 ELECTION

Iran - Holocaust

Conflict in Gaza

Voices

Culture

In Depth

Mideast Crisis

World Cup

On Anglo Jewry

Week at a glance

France Election

EU and Annapolis Summit

News from outside of Europe

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Mumbai Terror

DURBAN II

WILLIAMSON

The Calendar

Links

Controversy over FIFA's questioning of Israeli army action

Updated: 10/Apr/2006 16:12

Page tools

	Email to friend
	Print this page
	Bookmark this page
	Add your view

The world governing body of football (FIFA) has caused a storm of controversy after it demanded an explanation from the Israeli ambassador to Switzerland for an Israeli artillery strike on a football stadium in Gaza.

Jerome Champagne, the delegate to FIFA's special affairs president, last week wrote to Aviv Shiron at the Israeli embassy asking about the firing at the stadium on 30 March, even though the organisation says it does not get involved in politics.

The Israeli strike came in retaliation for continuing Palestinian kassam rocket attacks from Gaza, which ironically included one rocket which hit a football pitch in a kibbutz close to Ashkelon the day before.

No one was injured in the Israeli strike as the Israeli army said they had been careful to make sure the stadium was unpopulated, whereas one person was injured in the kassam attack.

Not happy

Speaking to the Jerusalem Post on Thursday Champagne said he was “not happy with what happened” and was planning to discuss the situation with FIFA president Sepp Blatter so they could consider what action to take.

Champagne said Shiron had told him the Israelis had fired at the stadium because it was a launching site for kassams, but he had found out the next day that in fact it was not and the Israelis bombed the stadium simply to “send a message to the Palestinians”.

But on Saturday the Israel Football Association released a statement insisting that Champagne had been totally satisfied with Shiron's answer and there had never been any possibility of FIFA imposing sanctions on Israel.

In the IFA statement, IFA chairman Iche Menahem said: “Following the news of the bombardment, FIFA asked Israel`s ambassador to Switzerland, Aviv Shiron, to report on the incident.

“His response stated that Palestinian rockets, known as Qassams, were launched into Israel from close to the stadium and this was the reason for the Israel military`s response with airstrikes and artillery fire at the stadium.

“Jerome Champagne, FIFA Delegate of the President for special affairs, said that FIFA had accepted the explanation”

This clearly contradicted what Champagne had said originally, in that he had not been happy with Shiron's explanation.

Refused to condemn

The IFA also ignored comments Champagne made to the Post where he refused to condemn Kassam rockets and even justified them by comparing the situation of Israel occupying Israel to Germany occupying France.

“The Gaza Strip was occupied since 1967. [France was] occupied by Germany three times in the last 100 years. Do you think we could just kiss and make up after six months?” Champagne said.

"No part of Israel is occupied by the Palestinian people. It is not right to occupy a people," he added.

Dozens of angry readers from around the world have written in to the Jerusalem Post and other Israel-based websites complaining of Champagne and FIFA's double standards and stressing that they have no right to get involved in politics.

Day in history

4 July 1976

The Entebbe Rescue

256 hostages from an Air France plane are held prisoners by Palestinian terrorists and Ugandan soldiers at Entebbe airport.

After 8 days they are rescued by Israeli commandos in a brilliant ruse under the command of Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of the current Israeli Prime Minister, who was shot in the back during the rescue.