Arabic version: رئيس الاتحاد الفلسطيني لكرة القدم denied تأشيرة دخول الولايات المتحدة لحضور كأس العالم
Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association, is currently in Mexico City awaiting permission to enter the United States for the FIFA World Cup. Although he attended the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday, he has been denied a visa to join other federation heads at the event. According to Al Jazeera, several accredited individuals have faced similar visa issues.
Rajoub expressed his frustration over the situation, stating, “I don’t believe that it’s fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend.” Although the Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, FIFA typically invites heads of football associations globally, framing the event as a celebration of unity.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has acknowledged the visa challenges, indicating that FIFA has been attempting to resolve these issues but cannot override U.S. government decisions. Infantino stated, “We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.”
The U.S. Department of State has not commented specifically on Rajoub’s visa, but last year it implemented new restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, which included revoking a visa for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Rajoub has previously criticized Israel for allowing teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank to compete in its national league, calling for FIFA to impose sanctions against Israel for its actions.
Rajoub’s frustrations are compounded by the ongoing political tensions surrounding Palestinian participation in international sports and the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on athletes and sports facilities in Gaza. He recently refused to shake hands with the head of Israel’s football federation at Infantino’s behest, stating that such gestures would not address the underlying issues.
