Head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) Jibril Rajoub yesterday refused a proposal by the FIFA President Sepp Blatter to hold a “peace match” between Israelis and Palestinians.
Speaking in a press conference in the Palestinian West Bank city of Al-Bireh, near Ramallah, Blatter said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had welcomed his proposal but Rajoub said the conditions were not yet ready for such a game.
“It is a creative idea, I like it,” Rajoub told Blatter, “but we have to pave the road for that, we have to prepare the environment. This should be an end game, this should be a purpose for you and I urge you not to give up.”
Meanwhile, Blatter failed to persuade the Palestinian side to cancel the application to the FIFA congress demanding the suspension of Israeli membership over its continuous violations against the Palestinians and Palestinian sport.
AFP said that the aim of Blatter’s visit was to cancel this application. “Blatter himself flew into the region on Tuesday on a mission to resolve the dispute,” AFP reported.
Palestinians complain about the Israeli restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinian players and football officials. In addition, they protest the existence of five Israeli teams in illegal settlements built on occupied Palestinian lands.
Blatter met Netanyahu in Jerusalem, where he proposed the “peace match”. Then, he met with the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and took part in the inauguration of five Palestinian stadiums in the West Bank jointly with Rajoub.