ZURICH: The Swiss government teamed up with FIFA on Thursday, giving 120,000 Swiss francs ($149,000) to help fund the building of community soccer fields in the West Bank.
Switzerland-based FIFA said money from the country’s foreign affairs ministry was for “enabling the construction of the facilities and supporting a broader, long-term commitment to restoring access to football across the region.”
The FIFA statement did not specify or speculate on how the access to soccer pitches was lost.
The fields known as “FIFA Arena” are “designed to be safe, durable spaces for communities that lack access to sport,” the soccer body said. “The initial two FIFA Arena mini-pitches will be paired with a dedicated training program for children, creating safe spaces for play that foster inclusion and personal development.”
Eight more are planned to be installed in Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of the global FIFA Arena project. FIFA said a total of 30 mini-fields in 15 countries have been opened since March.
“FIFA expresses its deep gratitude to the Swiss government for this important contribution and looks forward to continuing this shared effort to restore, rebuild and bring hope — one pitch at a time,” president Gianni Infantino said.
Infantino attended a global summit on the future of Gaza last month at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. There, he committed FIFA to “help rebuild all football facilities in Gaza and Palestine. We will bring football back in every corner of the country.”
FIFA also is investigating two formal complaints by the Palestinian soccer federation against Israeli soccer.
In October last year, FIFA asked its disciplinary body to study claims of discrimination by the Israeli soccer federation. FIFA’s governance panel was asked to advise if teams from Israeli settlements in the West Bank playing in national competitions breached the governing body’s statutes.
No timetable has been set for the FIFA panels to report back. FIFA’s next congress of 211 member federations is scheduled April 30 in Vancouver, Canada.
