By Julien Pretot
VANCOUVER, April 30 (Reuters) – Palestinian soccer federation President Jibril Rajoub refused to stand alongside Israel FA Vice-President Basim Sheikh Suliman in a heated moment at the FIFA Congress on Thursday.
Both men were called to the stand by FIFA President Gianni Infantino but Rajoub declined to be brought closer to Arab-Israeli Suliman.
Infantino put his hand on Rajoub’s arm and invited him with a gesture to come closer to Suliman, but in vain.
Asked what Rajoub said when he refused, Palestinian FA Vice-President Susan Shalabi, who was in the room, told Reuters: “I cannot shake the hand of someone the Israelis have brought to whitewash their fascism and genocide. We are suffering.”
Israel has denied committing genocide in Gaza.
Infantino then took the stand and said: “We will work together, President Rajoub, Vice-President Suliman. Let’s work together to give hope to the children. These are complex matters.”
Speaking to Reuters after the Congress ended, Shalabi said Infantino’s attempt to have Suliman and Rajoub shake hands showed little consideration for the Palestinian FA chief’s speech, in which he made yet another plea for Israeli clubs not to base teams in the West Bank settlements.
“To be put in a position where to have a handshake after everything that was said, this negates the whole purpose of the speech that the general (Rajoub) was giving,” she said.
“He spent like 15 minutes trying to explain to everyone how the rules matter, how this could easily become a precedent where the rights of member associations are violated with impudence, and then we’ll just wrap this under the carpet. It was absurd.”
Rajoub said: “From my side, I still respect and follow the legal procedure but I think it’s time to understand that Israel should be sanctioned. The double standard policy should stop.
“I refused to shake hands. Sport is sport… for me that should be respected, but if the other side is representing a criminal like Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) and speaking on behalf of Bibi as if Bibi is Mother Teresa, how can I shake hands or have a photo with such a man?
“I think Gianni has the right to try to bridge gaps and bring people together but I think maybe he does not understand or does not know the deep suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Last week, the PFA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA’s decision not to sanction Israel over clubs based in West Bank settlements.
The PFA has long argued that clubs based in settlements in the West Bank – territory Palestinians seek as part of a future state – should not compete in leagues run by the Israel Football Association.
FIFA said last month it would take no action against the IFA or Israeli clubs, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law.
As they were leaving the Vancouver Convention Centre, Rajoub and Shalabi were targeted by protesters who were demanding that FIFA should ban Iran from the World Cup on the grounds that the team, they say, represent the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Does that convince you that you have to support IRGC… because you’re having a problem with Israel,” one protester asked Rajoub.
“We’re not supporting anyone, we just want the support of the international community,” Rajoub said.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris and Clare Fallon)
Comments