PFA has cried foul over Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinian players; FIFA President says he opposes bid

Palestine FA chief Jibril Rajoub said in the Bahrain capital of Manama will once again seek to expel Israel from world soccer’s governing body, reported Reuters Saturday.

Rajoub had dropped a similar resolution last year but this time “would not make the concessions” because Israel was continuing to “persecute Palestine footballers, athletes” and hinder “the movement of sporting equipment.”

Rajoub, who was attending the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), said that “enough is enough.”

“Last year we dropped the resolution when Europe got involved and the Israelis promised to co-operate in improving the situation, but one year on it is still behaving like the neighborhood bully, or worse.

“There is now a feeling Europe cannot sit back and ignore what Israel is doing any longer. Israel has humiliated all of those trying to help the situation and nothing has changed.

“A year ago I agreed to drop the proposal, I will not do that again. The aggression towards our sportsmen and women in the West Bank and Gaza continues. It is hostile and racist and the time has come to take action.”

“I think (UEFA president) Michel Platini, who has backed Israel in the past, has had enough. He sent us sports equipment which was held by Israel for 16 months and we had to pay $32,000 to get it,” added Rajoub.

Meanwhile, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that he opposes the Palestinian bid to bar Israel, saying says such a move would harm soccer’s governing body itself

When asked by AFP at a press conference in early April to comment on the PFA request, Blatter said that “such a situation shall not occur at the FIFA congress because suspension of a federation for any reason is always something which harms the whole organization.”

In its draft resolution asking Israel to be barred, the PFA also protested at the creation of “five clubs in settlements on land occupied since 1967, clubs participating in Israeli national championships in violation of international law.”

The PFA last called for Israel’s suspension in November after Israeli forces raided its headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

It has also cried foul over Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinian players.

To be passed the Palestinian resolution must win the support of at least 156 other delegates at the 209-member FIFA congress.

(with AFP)