VANCOUVER, British Columbia — FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s attempt to play peacemaker between the Israeli and Palestinian soccer federations ended in a tense moment at FIFA’s annual congress and a plea from Palestinian Football Association’s president Jibril Rajoub: “We are suffering!”
After representatives from both federations spoke to hundreds of delegates here at FIFA’s annual meeting, Infantino asked both to come back to the stage.
The Israel Football Association’s vice president, Basim Sheikh Suliman, having just spoken for a few minutes, heeded Infantino’s command. But Rajoub resisted, and instead engaged in a passionate discussion with Infantino, with Suliman standing several feet away.
The contentious exchange did not result in a handshake between the Israeli and Palestinian representatives, nor a photo featuring the two, but instead a plea from Infantino for the two nations to take part in an Under-15 tournament organized by FIFA in the future.
It was one of the final items of the FIFA Congress and Infantino attempted to deliver the handshake less than half-an-hour before confirming his intention to stand for re-election as FIFA president in 2027.
But Infantino’s attempts proved fruitless. Suliman stood motionless while Infantino and Rajoub continued an impassioned conversation which lasted several minutes. Infantino at times clasped Rajoub’s hands while the Palestinian continued to speak to him, with the words largely not audible to those in the room or watching on a FIFA-provided stream. Infantino was forced to return to the podium, while the two representatives stood apart.
The two men on stage with Infantino speaking to the Palestine FA representative (FIFA)
“Let me please say something,” Infantino said. “Let me thank the two representatives from Israel and from Palestine, who have the same rights, duties and obligations, who are members of FIFA. We will work together, let’s work together to give hope to the children, let’s work together for that.
“We have a beautiful under-15 tournament coming up, where we will invite all 211 countries to participate, all the children of the world, let’s do it for that. Let’s work together, you have my commitment, you have the support of the whole room.”
Infantino then left the podium once more and appeared to attempt to bring the two men together once again, and once again it did not materialise, with Rajoub protesting to Infantino.
In the end, Infantino hugged both men separately, and they exited the stage. At one point, the FIFA stream for those watching remotely appeared to freeze, which FIFA sources attributed to a “technical issue.”
When Rajoub returned to his seat towards the back of the room, he received another round of applause from those nearby.
What did the Palestinian FA representative say during his speech?
His impassioned speech lasted 15 minutes.
He focused on a continued grievance with FIFA – the world governing body’s decision not to sanction Israel over football clubs in the occupied West Bank.
“At the 74th Congress in Bangkok, we asked FIFA, yet again, to address the participation of the clubs affiliated to the Israeli Football Association, but located in Palestinian territory without the approval of the Palestine Football Association,” he said.
Rajoub is greeted on stage by Infantino (Elizabeth Ruiz / FIFA via Getty Images)
“We also asked FIFA to address persistent discrimination and racism within the structure of Israeli football.
“On the floor of this very Congress, the FIFA president himself described the matter as urgent at the 75th Congress, after the matter had been referred onwards,” Rajoub continued.
“We asked for the investigation to be concluded and for a clear decision to be taken. We were told that processes were underway. We respected those processes. Now we meet again. The report is no longer empty. The facts are no longer theoretical. The FIFA disciplinary committee has found grave violations, breaches of the FIFA disciplinary court and conduct inconsistent with its obligation of non-discrimination, equal treatment, human rights, political neutrality and good governance.
“It described the systematic failure and institutional publicity and discrimination striking at the (heart) of FIFA, its mission and requiring severe exemplary sanctions. Those are not our words. They are FIFA disciplinary findings.”
What did the Israeli FA representative say in his own speech?
In response, Suliman did not appear to directly address the issues raised, but did speak about the co-existence of Israeli Arabs within the Israeli football structure, claiming that 33 per cent of registered teams are mixed Israeli and Arab. Suliman himself is Arab-Israeli.
He said: “I speak to you about all this because I believe football is supposed to build bridges between us and our brothers and neighbors, the Palestinians, and today I call upon everyone here to contribute in projects and initiatives to change the reality of today.
“The Israel FA has supported the existence of the Palestinian FA since day one, and we still have the same position; we are proud of our squads and their squads. In football, there is no place for politics, and everyone has the right to play and compete. We are members of the world football association.
“We are teaching the values of football in all languages to children and teaching them that everything is possible on the pitch. We are trying to nurture the values of respect, equality and love for everyone. We call upon everyone to do their best in order so that when we meet next time, we have a better situation. We extend a hand to the Palestinian FA to have a victory for our shared values. Amen.”
This was followed by Infantino’s attempts to have the pair pose for a photograph together.
How did the Palestinian representative respond in the mixed zone?
Rajoub later spoke to reporters in the mixed zone.
“The guy who spoke on behalf of Israel, he did not even pay attention to the suffering, to what’s going on,” Rajoub said. “He is trying to whitewash the ugly face of this Israeli government. Genocide, ethnic cleansing. We had to suspend all sport activities because of the Israeli occupation, suffocation, restriction, killing, arresting and so on.”
Rajoub speaking to The Athletic and other reporters in the mixed zone (The Athletic)
Rajoub was the first person from the Congress to appear in the mixed zone. As he spoke to reporters, FIFA officials stood nearby eating and mingling after the conclusion of the conference.
“I think Gianni (Infantino) has the right to try to bridge gaps,” Rajoub said. “He has the right to try to bring people together. But I think maybe he understands, but he does not know the deep suffering of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian sport family.”
Rajoub said he refused to shake hands with Suliman.
“For me, sport is sport,” Rajoub said. “And it’s a code of conduct for me that I should respect. But if the other side representing a criminal like (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and he is in FIFA Congress and speaking on behalf of (Netanyahu) as if (Netanyahu) is Mother Teresa? How can I shake hands or have a photo with such a man.”
Asked specifically what he would like FIFA to do, Rajoub made his intentions clear.
“Please stop funding and organizing (an) official league in the occupied territories,” he said. “This is a Palestinian territory by the international law, the whole world recognizes including (Canada). And the Israeli federation (is) organizing the official league in nine clubs, nine settlements in the occupied territories. This is against the standards of FIFA.”
Was the handshake pre-planned?
Sources with knowledge of the FIFA Congress arrangements, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, told The Athletic that a photo opportunity involving Rajoub and Suliman was pre-planned before the night.
However, no one was prepared to back that up in the mixed zone after the event on the record.
Rajoub was pressed multiple times in the mixed zone on whether the handshake was pre-planned. He declined to state specifically whether or not he was going to be asked to shake hands with Suliman.
“This is not the issue,” Rajoub said. “Could I shake hands with someone representing a fascist and racist government, and defending even the policies of this government? I don’t think that I have to shake hands. I don’t think that he’s a qualified partner to me.
“While I understand, I recognize that the Israeli Federation has the right to organize and develop sport but within their internationally recognized borders. Was he ready to say that for the Palestinians?”
Yariv Teper, the IFA’s acting general secretary, denied it was pre-planned. But he said: “I think it was a missing of opportunity. Because our mission is to show the world that we can do it in a different way. Our vice president stood there. And the president of FIFA asking both sides to come to the floor together. The way I see it, it was a missing of opportunity, in order to show something else for the world.”
He added: “We are not dealing with politics. We are dealing only with football, and in order to bring a better future for football in all other regions of the world, especially in our region, in the Middle East. So that was our mission in this Congress. If someone wants to take us to a political area, this is not for us. We are only aiming to bring better future, better football to all children all over the world.”
Asked whether the moment was pre-planned, FIFA’s secretary general Mattias Grafstrom twice declined to comment. In response, he said: “Well, of course, we are always in contact with our member associations. And we’re here to promote peace. And I think the president was very clear in his message, that we’ll keep on working together with both associations and do our best to bring people together in the best possible way.”
When a reporter attempted to clarify whether or not it was pre-planned and discussed beforehand, Grafstrom again declined: “Well, we discuss with our member associations on a regular basis, and also in advance of the Congress. And we will keep discussing afterwards as well in order to have a further positive messages to show to the world that football can help in this complicated situation.”
