The head of the Palestinian Football Association is waiting in Mexico City for permission to enter the United States with other federation heads attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The head of the Palestinian Football Association is waiting in Mexico City for permission to enter the United States with other federation heads attending the Jibril Rajoub went to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday.
But he is among several people accredited to attend the World Cup who have been denied visas or have yet to receive them from the United States.
“I don’t believe that it’s fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend,” the veteran Palestinian political figure said in an interview with The Associated Press. The Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, but FIFA typically invites the heads of football associations from around the world to the event every four years, which it frames as a celebration of global unity.
“Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year. We are working exactly for that,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last year. FILE/Palestinian football chief Jibril Rajoub speaks to the press upon his arrival in the West Bank city of Jericho on June 1, 2015, following the FIFA presidential race.
Palestine, which has been a FIFA member since 1998, had wanted the governing body to expel Israel over its restrictions on the movement of Palestinian players. Infantino said this week that FIFA had been trying to resolve visa issues but could not overrule the U.S. government.
“We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces,” he told reporters on Wednesday.and other Palestinian soccer officials have long argued that Israel violates statutes by allowing teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank play in Israel’s national league. They haveLast month, Rajoub refused to shake hands with the head of Israel’s football federation at Infantino’s behest because he said the gesture would not heal wounds but instead whitewash Israel’s actions.
Rajoub pointed out that when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, it did not implement comparable visa restrictions for people who were invited to the tournament.
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