Palestinian FA appeals FIFA decision to CAS

The Palestinian Football Association has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport challenging FIFA's decision not to sanction the Israeli Football Association or its affiliated clubs operating in West Bank settlements. The appeal was lodged on April 20 after the association exhausted internal FIFA procedures.

FIFA announced last month that it would take no action against the Israeli association or the clubs in question, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law. The Palestinian association has long contended that the settlements are illegal under international law and that clubs based there should not participate in Israeli domestic leagues, which it views as a violation of regulations.

"We have exhausted every legal venue possible at FIFA, so we'll still go by the rules, go by the book, and we'll appeal that decision because we think it's very unjust," Palestinian Football Association Vice President Susan Shalabi said after the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Vancouver on Tuesday. The event preceded FIFA's annual congress in the same city by two days. "The FIFA council decided after 15 years of deliberations on...