Tense moment at FIFA Congress as delegate refuses 'absurd' handshake request
During the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, President Gianni Infantino attempted to facilitate a handshake between Israeli and Palestinian football delegates, but Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub refused, calling the gesture 'absurd' after delivering a speech criticizing Israel's football clubs in West Bank settlements. Rajoub argued that Israel violates FIFA's anti-discrimination rules and announced plans to take the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The incident highlighted ongoing tensions between the two football associations amid broader geopolitical conflict.
- ▪Gianni Infantino tried to bring together Israeli and Palestinian delegates for a handshake at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver.
- ▪Jibril Rajoub refused to shake hands with Israel's Basim Sheikh Suliman, calling the request inappropriate after his speech on discrimination.
- ▪The Palestine Football Association plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA declined to suspend Israel over West Bank clubs.
- ▪FIFA fined the Israel Football Association $190,000 for discrimination, racist abuse, and violations of fair play.
- ▪Rajoub questioned Israel's membership in FIFA, citing breaches of FIFA statutes and human rights concerns.
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Tense moment at FIFA Congress as Gianni Infantino tries to get Israeli and Palestinian delegates to shake handsTopic:Soccer48m ago48 minutes agoFri 1 May 2026 at 1:20amJibril Rajoub (right) refuses to shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman after Gianni Infantino (not pictured) tried to bring them together. (The Canadian Press: Darryl Dyck)In short:Gianni Infantino attempted to bring Israeli and Palestinian delegates together to shake hands at the FIFA Congress.Palestinian Jibril Rajoub refused the request, having just given a speech in which he called on FIFA to address allegations of discrimination.What's next?The Palestine Football Association is taking its concerns to the Court of Arbitration for…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ABC News (Australia).