By Mark Baber
August 16 – The Palestinian Football Federation has demanded FIFA expel Israel from FIFA after Israel’s refusal to grant entry permits for players and officials intending to participate in the first ever international football championship to be held in Palestine.
The 4th West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-16 Championship, played between Palestine, Jordan the UAE and Iraq, was scheduled to kick off today, but Israel, which controls the borders of Palestine, has refused to grant entry to three managers of the Jordanian football union, two UAE representatives and 13 managers and players from Iraq.
Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub (pictured) said: “We ask (FIFA) for a red card, because the yellow card has been raised now for a long time, we are clinging to the red card to take away the Israeli occupation’s legitimacy and we will not accept any compromise.”
Rujub told AFP that WAFF was contacting both FIFA and the European football federation UEFA (to which Israel belongs) to put pressure on Israel to issue the necessary permits, which had been due to be issued by August 10.
At the 63rd FIFA Congress in May, the FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter, was given a mandate to try to improve the current football situation in Palestine, particularly so that FIFA can implement its mission of developing and promoting the game, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.
Blatter’s recent trip to Israel and Palestine focused on the issue of Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinian players and visitors to the West Bank, which have seen Palestinian players arrested and imprisoned and foreign players, including recently two teenage players from Myanmar, delayed at the border.
During his visit to Palestine, the FIFA president told his hosts: “We will help you. Football will help you. I have taken you in my heart. I’m in a sport-diplomatic mission to transmit to the Israeli authorities the problems which your football faces, especially when it comes to the movement of players to get in and out of Palestine, I will fight for your cause. Football shall not create borders; football shall bring people together”
UEFA, who recently allowed Israel to host the UEFA under-21 Championship, are expected to issue a statement on the matter soon. The WAFF Under-21’s Youth Championship is also due to be held in Palestine in the first week of October.
After an Israeli government report was issued alleging corrupt practices in the running of the Israel Football Federation, the FIFA President threatened to suspend Israel from FIFA over Israeli government interference. With the future of Palestinian football very much in the balance, whether FIFA will be prepared to take such a step to prevent Israeli government interference in the running of Palestinian football will become clear in the coming days.
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