Open Letter To “His Excellency” Gianni Infantino, the Incumbent President of FIFA
by William Hanna, 6 September 2016. In 2006, FIFA officially announced their
Say No to Racism campaign in which they released large banners before
matches at the World Cup that simply said, “Say No to Racism.”
Your Excellency,
I trust that the current qualifying
rounds for the 2018 World Cup — along with persistent claims that FIFA is rife
with corruption — have not been too much of an imposition on your time to the
extent of preventing the enjoyment of your more than £2.6 million salary which
is no doubt also laden with numerous overt and covert “fringe benefits.” My
taking the liberty of writing to you was prompted by Monday evening’s European
Region Group G qualifying match between Italy and Israel which happens to be in
the Middle East and not in Europe. FIFA’s apparent confusion over Israel’s
geographical location is also shared by that other august — and equally rife
with corruption and hypocrisy — footballing authority, EUFA, which for the same
inexplicable reason also facilitates Israel’s participation in the European
Championship.
rounds for the 2018 World Cup — along with persistent claims that FIFA is rife
with corruption — have not been too much of an imposition on your time to the
extent of preventing the enjoyment of your more than £2.6 million salary which
is no doubt also laden with numerous overt and covert “fringe benefits.” My
taking the liberty of writing to you was prompted by Monday evening’s European
Region Group G qualifying match between Italy and Israel which happens to be in
the Middle East and not in Europe. FIFA’s apparent confusion over Israel’s
geographical location is also shared by that other august — and equally rife
with corruption and hypocrisy — footballing authority, EUFA, which for the same
inexplicable reason also facilitates Israel’s participation in the European
Championship.
This made me wonder what Israel had done
— apart from its usual modus operandi of blackmail, bribery, bullying, and
exploitation of the Holocaust with a well organised and financed “Holocaust Industry”
— to warrant being allowed participation in an international football
tournament organised by FIFA which while claiming to be opposed to racism, is
apparently prepared to tolerate, without the slightest compunction, the ethnic
cleansing of the Palestinian people. I am sure you can understand how someone
like myself — who has neither your highly intelligent and principled regard for
humanity nor large amounts of money unobtrusively accumulating interest in
Swiss bank accounts — is bewildered by such an obviously blatant contradiction.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t ethnic cleansing with its crimes
of genocide and mass atrocity constitute a very extreme form of racism?
— apart from its usual modus operandi of blackmail, bribery, bullying, and
exploitation of the Holocaust with a well organised and financed “Holocaust Industry”
— to warrant being allowed participation in an international football
tournament organised by FIFA which while claiming to be opposed to racism, is
apparently prepared to tolerate, without the slightest compunction, the ethnic
cleansing of the Palestinian people. I am sure you can understand how someone
like myself — who has neither your highly intelligent and principled regard for
humanity nor large amounts of money unobtrusively accumulating interest in
Swiss bank accounts — is bewildered by such an obviously blatant contradiction.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t ethnic cleansing with its crimes
of genocide and mass atrocity constitute a very extreme form of racism?
While my conscience demands that I
recognise and unreservedly condemn the appalling events endured by Jewish
people at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust, it also obliges me in
fairness to also point out that no responsibility whatsoever can be attached to
the Palestinian people who unlike the unprincipled Zionists — despite of
what was being done to Jews — did not offer to fight on the side of the Nazis
on the explicit understanding that after Germany won the war, Zionism would be
rewarded with Palestine.
recognise and unreservedly condemn the appalling events endured by Jewish
people at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust, it also obliges me in
fairness to also point out that no responsibility whatsoever can be attached to
the Palestinian people who unlike the unprincipled Zionists — despite of
what was being done to Jews — did not offer to fight on the side of the Nazis
on the explicit understanding that after Germany won the war, Zionism would be
rewarded with Palestine.
You may not be aware — because you were
not born before 1970 — that in October 1964 FIFA suspended South Africa
indefinitely because of its Apartheid policy which at its worst came nowhere
even close to the racist barbarity and hatred that has been unleashed by
Israelis against Palestinians for almost 70 years. If your are not already
cognisant with the irrefutable reality of Israeli racism, then perhaps you
would care to view some of the available evidence on Youtube of which the
following are but a few of the less aggressive and violent examples:
not born before 1970 — that in October 1964 FIFA suspended South Africa
indefinitely because of its Apartheid policy which at its worst came nowhere
even close to the racist barbarity and hatred that has been unleashed by
Israelis against Palestinians for almost 70 years. If your are not already
cognisant with the irrefutable reality of Israeli racism, then perhaps you
would care to view some of the available evidence on Youtube of which the
following are but a few of the less aggressive and violent examples:
(https://www.theguardian.com/news/video/2015/nov/24/beitar-jerusalem-most-racist-football-team-israel-video) and (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPxv4Aff3IA)
Surely on the basis of such evidence and FIFA’s
proclaimed unconditional opposition to racism, Israel should by right be banned
from participation in international football tournaments that in effect condone
its heinous crimes against humanity and lend legitimacy to its illegal and
deliberately barbaric occupation of Palestinian lands. As the President of
FIFA, do you not have the ultimate responsibility of enforcing the “Say No to
Racism” policy of football’s international governing body? Or are there some
mitigating circumstances such as hypocrisy, double standards, and a paranoiac
fear of being branded an anti-Semite?
proclaimed unconditional opposition to racism, Israel should by right be banned
from participation in international football tournaments that in effect condone
its heinous crimes against humanity and lend legitimacy to its illegal and
deliberately barbaric occupation of Palestinian lands. As the President of
FIFA, do you not have the ultimate responsibility of enforcing the “Say No to
Racism” policy of football’s international governing body? Or are there some
mitigating circumstances such as hypocrisy, double standards, and a paranoiac
fear of being branded an anti-Semite?
Despite your and FIFA’s shameful reluctance to do the
right thing by banning Israel from international tournaments, there is
nonetheless a rising tide of opposition to Israel’s participation in such
tournaments as was witnessed last month when the fans of Celtic Football Cub
defied UEFA and the police by not only waving hundreds of Palestinian flags as
a political protest during the match against Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva FC, but
by also by subsequently raising more than £130,000 for Palestinian charities in
an attempt to match the impending Uefa fine; when Israeli fans in France were
greeted with Palestinian flags while Israeli flags were banned during a match
between St. Etienne and Beitar Jerusalem; and when Malaysia relinquished the
rights to hosting the 2017 FIFA Congress because the predominantly Muslim
country refused to issue visas to Israeli delegates who would have been allowed
to display their Israeli flag during the event.
right thing by banning Israel from international tournaments, there is
nonetheless a rising tide of opposition to Israel’s participation in such
tournaments as was witnessed last month when the fans of Celtic Football Cub
defied UEFA and the police by not only waving hundreds of Palestinian flags as
a political protest during the match against Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva FC, but
by also by subsequently raising more than £130,000 for Palestinian charities in
an attempt to match the impending Uefa fine; when Israeli fans in France were
greeted with Palestinian flags while Israeli flags were banned during a match
between St. Etienne and Beitar Jerusalem; and when Malaysia relinquished the
rights to hosting the 2017 FIFA Congress because the predominantly Muslim
country refused to issue visas to Israeli delegates who would have been allowed
to display their Israeli flag during the event.
Earlier this year an independent report by human rights
expert and Harvard Kennedy School Professor John Ruggie was published with a
view to strengthening FIFA’s institutional approach to human rights, including
the ongoing development of a “FIFA Human Rights Policy.” As part of its ongoing
efforts in this field, FIFA had asked Professor Ruggie to provide
recommendations to embed respect for human rights across its operations and
business relationships, based on his leading role in developing the UN Guiding
Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The report is available on
the following link.
expert and Harvard Kennedy School Professor John Ruggie was published with a
view to strengthening FIFA’s institutional approach to human rights, including
the ongoing development of a “FIFA Human Rights Policy.” As part of its ongoing
efforts in this field, FIFA had asked Professor Ruggie to provide
recommendations to embed respect for human rights across its operations and
business relationships, based on his leading role in developing the UN Guiding
Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The report is available on
the following link.
For FIFA to seek advice and recommendations to “embed
respect for human rights across its operations and business relationships,” is
all very commendable and no doubt a useful public relations exercise, but it
will all be a meaningless and shameful public facade if no positive action is
taken against Israel whose arrogant disregard and contempt for international
law knows no bounds and includes the blatant violation of all 30 Articles of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on
the Rights of the Child. Please take time to check out the following links and
then act in accordance with your conscience instead of remaining subservient to
pro-Israeli threats and pressure. Your Excellency must be aware that your
position, your self respect, and humanity demand it.
respect for human rights across its operations and business relationships,” is
all very commendable and no doubt a useful public relations exercise, but it
will all be a meaningless and shameful public facade if no positive action is
taken against Israel whose arrogant disregard and contempt for international
law knows no bounds and includes the blatant violation of all 30 Articles of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on
the Rights of the Child. Please take time to check out the following links and
then act in accordance with your conscience instead of remaining subservient to
pro-Israeli threats and pressure. Your Excellency must be aware that your
position, your self respect, and humanity demand it.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqL048x4msM)
and (http://www.globalresearch.ca/israeli-barbarism-terrorizing-palestinian-children-prosecuting-them-in-military-courts/5432564)
and (http://www.globalresearch.ca/israeli-barbarism-terrorizing-palestinian-children-prosecuting-them-in-military-courts/5432564)
Information regarding the “Red Card Israeli Racism”
campaign can be found at the following link: (link:http://rcir.takeaction.org.uk/lobby/Infantino)
campaign can be found at the following link: (link:http://rcir.takeaction.org.uk/lobby/Infantino)
William Hanna is a freelance writer with published
books the Hiramic Brotherhood of the Third Temple and The Tragedy of
Palestine and its Children. Purchase information, sample chapter, other
articles, and contact details at:
books the Hiramic Brotherhood of the Third Temple and The Tragedy of
Palestine and its Children. Purchase information, sample chapter, other
articles, and contact details at: