The president of world soccer's governing body, Gianni Infantino, said Thursday that football cannot resolve conflicts but must convey a message of peace and unity, at a time when Israel's war in Gaza and other global tensions are prompting calls for the sport to take a stand.
"At FIFA, we are committed to using the power of football to unite people in a divided world," Infantino said at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich.
"We are mindful of those who are suffering from many conflicts around the world today, and the most important message that football can give now is that of peace and unity," he stressed.
Infantino said that FIFA cannot solve geopolitical crises, but "it can and must promote football around the world by exploiting its unifying, educational, cultural and human values."
FIFA has faced repeated calls to act over the war in Gaza, while Palestinian officials have called for Israel to be suspended from international football.
FIFA has been considering this issue for several months now, but has not yet made any decision.
Infantino has repeatedly said that such issues require consensus among confederations and must be handled with care.
A day earlier, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani stressed that any decision on Israel's participation in European competitions, including World Cup qualifiers, is a matter for UEFA, shifting responsibility to European football's governing body.
"First of all, it (Israel) is a member of UEFA, just as I have to deal with a member of my region for whatever reason... They have to deal with this," Montagliani told reporters at the sports business conference on Wednesday.
Israel is in third place in Group I in the qualifying phase for next year's World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Amnesty International on Wednesday sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA calling on them to suspend the Israeli Football Federation.
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