July 29 – FIFA and the AFC have refused Palestine the right to stage their home World Cup qualifying matches in September in the West Bank.
In a letter sent to Firas Abu Hilal, general secretary of the Palestine FA, FIFA said that “the current situation in Palestine does not allow FIFA/AFC to proceed with organising the matches at your home venue as we cannot take the risk of the match not taking place on the scheduled date for any reason, as there is no available FIFA window for rescheduling the match(es) at a later date.”
Of the five ‘home’ matches due to be played by Palestine, willingness to play in the West Bank had been expressed by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman.
However, FIFA in the first point of its letter denying Palestine’s home hosting, referenced entry permits to the West Bank for visiting teams and match officials and that in the past they have not all be granted by Israel’s border forces.
Entry into the West Bank has long been a problem for Palestine football. Border crossing is governed by an accord between Palestine’s General Authority and Israel, but FIFA says “it cannot be guaranteed that the accord will be respected in all circumstances. We are aware if instances when some players were denied entry permits”.
It is a sentence, and public recognition by FIFA, that is clearly useful for the Palestinians in their application to have Israel suspended from international football.
That decision is expected in the weeks after the Olympics when Israel will have completed their participation in the men’s football event.
FIFA’s statutes outlaw interference or prevention of another nations ability to carry out football activities.
Any issues regarding the safety and security of matches in the West Bank are not mentioned until point four of the letter – it can reasonably have been expected that the biggest issues would be mentioned up front? FIFA said that while the Palestine Ministry of Interior Affairs said it could provide security, FIFA said “we cannot completely rule out the possibility of safety threats due to the ongoing war.”
It is an obvious point and on its own would be enough to prevent the matches being hosted in the West Bank. FIFA however chose to address the wider issues.
Palestine progressed through the second round of continental qualifying for the first time in its history in June but because of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza strip, staged its ‘home’ games in nearby Kuwait and Qatar.
The top two from each group of six in the final qualifying round automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
“Playing at a neutral venue isn’t permanent and was never meant to be so,” Susan Shalabi, the PFA’s deputy president, told The Associated Press earlier this month. “Faisal Al-Husseini is ready to host.”
The 12,500 capacity Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium is situated in the West Bank town of Al Ram. In 2019, it hosted the team’s last competitive home game, a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia that ended 0-0.
Palestine must now submit their nomination for a neutral venue by the end of the month.
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