The Palestinian Football Association has withdrawn its call to have Israel suspended from Fifa in a chaotic last minute climbdown at the congress of football’s governing body in Zurich. Following days of negotiations, and the mediation of Fifa president Sepp Blatter, the Palestinian moves at the scandal-ridden congress appeared comprehensively outmanoeuvred by feverish Israeli lobbying and the opposition of senior Fifa officials, including Blatter.

As details of an impending deal emerged, the Palestinian delegation came out of the last round of talks expecting the congress to vote on an amendment to refer the main sticking point, the status of five Israeli clubs based in illegal settlements on the West Bank, to the United Nations.



But the Palestinian move was overruled by Blatter, to the clear dismay of the Palestinian delegation, whose lawyer tried to appeal from the floor. Instead, the issue will be referred to a new Fifa committee.



Palestinian delegation members complained after the vote that the amendment voted on was not the one it had drawn up, which called explicitly for UN referral.

The announcement came at the end of a long day in which Palestinian delegation members had insisted they would not back down on the suspension vote.

The PFA has accused Israel of hampering its activities and restricting the movement of players between the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel cites security concerns for the restrictions it imposes and the country’s football association and has argued that it has no control over security forces.



Fifa has been trying to settle the matter for two years. Blatter this month travelled to the region to meet Israel’s prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to try to avoid a vote, which would have seen Israel join only two other countries in being suspended – apartheid era South Africa and Yugoslavia.

Palestinian football chief Jibril Rajoub announced the delegation’s change of position only as he mounted the podium to speak.



“I decided to drop the suspension but it does not mean that I give up the resistance,” he said to scattered applause. “A lot of colleagues who I respect and I appreciate explained to me how it is painful for them to hear in this family about the issue of suspension,” said Rajoub.



Palestinian sources confirmed that Rajoub had been under huge pressure to withdraw the suspension motion from delegates. “It is true everyone was putting pressure on him to withdraw,” said one. Blatter has always made clear he opposed a vote on suspension.

Following the withdrawal of the request to suspend Israel over claims of its racist and discriminatory policies towards Palestinian football, 90% of delegates voted to set up a new monitoring inspections committee to oversee a mechanism to ensure movement of players and equipment.



The size of the vote in favour of the motion – 165-18 – is likely to be the only consolation for the Palestinian side, which has been pushing a long-term campaign over what it says are Israeli abuses of Palestinian football.

The outcome seemed certain to be a cause for celebration for Israel.



The effective removal by Blatter of the issue of referral to the UN followed complaints before the vote from members of the Palestinian delegation to the Guardian and other journalists that Fifa officials were attempting to prevent a vote on the substantive issue of the settlement teams.



The threat to suspend Israel had been overshadowed in any case by the explosive allegations of corruption within the world football body as the Zurich congress opened. Announcing his decision to withdraw the suspension motion, Rajoub said he had been persuaded by approaches from other figures involved in world football, including South Africa’s Tokyo Sexwale.



Israeli Football Association president Ofer Eini, addressing the congress after Rajoub, told delegates: “Let’s leave politics to the politicians while we play soccer the best we can.”

Commenting on the outcome, Netanyahu said: “Our international effort has proven itself and led to the failure of the Palestinian Authority attempt to oust us from Fifa.”