US Edition
FIFA President Infantino Left Red Faced After Attempt of Israel-Palestine Handshake Takes Embarrassing Turn
Jibril Rajoub refused to shake hands with Israel’s football vice-president after Gianni Infantino tried to stage a reconciliation moment.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino's attempt to orchestrate a handshake between Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub and Israel Football Association Vice-President Basim Sheikh Suliman failed on Thursday at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver.
- Rajoub used his speech to criticize FIFA for not sanctioning Israel over football clubs based in West Bank settlements, citing the PFA's ongoing appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
- During the tense moment on stage, Rajoub shouted "we are suffering" and later called the Israeli representative a partner of a "fascist and racist government," while Suliman advocated for football building bridges.
- Infantino sought to diffuse the awkwardness by embracing both officials separately and insisted he hopes to stage a "beautiful" Under-15s tournament featuring both countries alongside all 211 member associations.
- At the congress, Infantino confirmed his candidacy for re-election as FIFA president in 2027, following his unopposed victories in 2019 and 2023.
17 Articles
17 Articles
FIFA's 76th Congress in Vancouver, Canada, stressed that the upcoming World Cup in North America will bring people together in a spirit of harmony and respect, and Gianni Infantino announced his candidacy for re-election, FIFA said. At the congress, he attempted to achieve a symbolic handshake between the Israeli and Palestinian representatives of the football associations, but his attempt was thwarted when the Palestinian representative left th…
Infantino's awkward Israel-Palestine handshake attempt backfires spectacularly
FIFA president Gianni Infantino attempted to orchestrate a public handshake between representatives of Israel and Palestine at the governing body's annual congress in Vancouver, but the Palestinian delegation refused
The Independent
The Independent (US)Gianni Infantino’s attempt at forcing Israel-Palestine handshake backfires
Infantino called representatives from the Israel and Palestine football federations onto the stage at the Fifa Congress but Palestine’s Jibril Rajoub refused to stand next to his Israeli counterpart
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