(MENAFN- Swissinfo) FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) called for“peace” in Gaza on Thursday, but“cannot solve geopolitical problems”, according to its president Gianni Infantino, who refrained from responding to growing calls to suspend the Israeli Federation. This content was published on October 2, 2025 - 16:47 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

Referring to“the ongoing situation in Gaza” at the opening of the body's closed-door board meeting, the Italian-Swiss leader felt that“the power of soccer” was to“bring people together in a divided world” by offering“a message of peace and unity”, according to a statement from the organisation.

“FIFA cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football throughout the world by exploiting its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values,” insisted the leader.

There was no mention of Israel or its federation in FIFA's press release, at a time when there are increasing calls to exclude the national team from international competitions in the midst of the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

More More Swiss Politics IOC responds to Swiss demand for exclusion of Russian officials

This content was published on Apr 18, 2022 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has justified the non-exclusion of Russian and Belarusian officials.

Read more: IOC responds to Swiss demand for exclusion of Russian official

MENAFN02102025000210011054ID1110143308