Fifa President Gianni Infantino (C) interacts with the President of the Palestine Soccer Affiliation Jibril Rajoub because the Vice-President of Israel Soccer Affiliation Basim Sheikh Suliman (L) appears on throughout a heated second within the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, on April 30, 2026. — AFP
VANCOUVER: Palestinian soccer federation President Jibril Rajoub refused to participate in a photograph alternative with Israel soccer official Basim Sheikh Suliman in a tense incident on the finish of Fifa’s Congress on Thursday.
After each Rajoub and Suliman had addressed delegates, Fifa President Gianni Infantino invited each males to face alongside him.
Nevertheless Rajoub declined the gesture, refusing repeated makes an attempt by Infantino to encourage him to take part within the second.
At one level Rajoub may very well be heard to say: “We are suffering.”
The Palestinian Soccer Affiliation lately appealed to the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over Fifa’s refusal to sanction Israel over soccer golf equipment primarily based within the West Financial institution.
The PFA maintains that golf equipment primarily based in West Financial institution settlements shouldn’t be allowed to compete in leagues managed by Israeli soccer authorities.
In 2024, United Nations specialists stated not less than eight soccer golf equipment had been recognized as taking part in in “Israeli colonial settlements” and referred to as on Fifa to “fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights”.
Chatting with reporters on Thursday, Rajoub referred to as on Fifa to “apply the statutes with fairness, with logic.”
“What’s going on in Palestine is terrible, destroying all the Palestinian sport facilities in Gaza, the killings of hundreds of Palestinian athletes, employees… I think it’s now the time to make justice,” Rajoub stated.
“The guy who spoke on behalf of Israel, he did not even pay attention to the suffering, to what’s going on.
“I refused to shake arms. How can I shake arms or have a photograph with such a person?”
