Jerusalem, 6 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel is calling on FIFA to keep politics out of sports, the general secretary of the Israel Football Association told the Press Service of Israel, following a public confrontation with the Palestinian representative at last Thursday’s FIFA Congress in Vancouver.
The incident took place when FIFA President Gianni Infantino invited Palestinian Football Association chief Jibril Rajoub and Israel Football Association Vice President Basim Sheikh Suliman to stand together on stage following speeches by the two. Rajoub declined to approach Suliman and left the stage after protesting off microphone.
“Rajoub gave a speech with his usual anti-Israeli rhetoric. Suliman spoke about cooperation and about how Israeli football brings Arabs and Jews together,” the general secretary of the Israel Football Association, Yariv Teper, told TPS-IL. “But again, the Palestinian side missed an opportunity. We keep our focus on sports, and we call on FIFA to keep politics out of sports.”
The confrontation came as the Palestinian Football Association continues to pressure FIFA to sanction or suspend Israel over six “settlement teams,” clubs located in Judea and Samaria. Rajoub reiterated those demands during the congress, arguing that Israel violates FIFA regulations by allowing settlement clubs to compete under the Israeli Football Association framework.
The Press Service of Israel is trying to reach Rajoub, who is also president of the Palestine Olympic Committee, for comment.
FIFA, the international governing body of association football, declined to suspend Israel in March. The Palestinian Football Association has since appealed the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Teper told TPS-IL that despite the political tensions, Israel remains interested in maintaining dialogue and cooperation through sports.
“Our clubs, our players, our sports leaders are Jews and Arabs. They come from all backgrounds. We don’t discriminate,” Teper said.
The Vancouver incident was the latest chapter in a years-long campaign led by Rajoub and the Palestinian Football Association against Israel within international soccer institutions.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly sought to use FIFA forums to isolate Israel diplomatically and push for suspensions or sanctions against Israeli teams.
The pressure campaign has included accusations related to freedom of movement for Palestinian players, Israeli military actions, and the participation of clubs from Judea and Samaria in Israeli leagues. Over the years, FIFA has repeatedly delayed or avoided taking direct punitive action against Israel while commissioning legal reviews and mediation efforts.
Rajoub himself, a former Palestinian Authority official who served time in Israeli prisons, has long been a controversial figure in international soccer politics. In 2018, FIFA suspended him for 12 months after he called on fans to burn shirts and pictures of Argentine star Lionel Messi ahead of a planned friendly match in Jerusalem.
More recently, the Palestinian Football Association has intensified calls for sanctions against Israel during the war in Gaza, arguing that FIFA applies double standards by banning Russia from international competition while allowing Israel to continue participating.
“The Palestinians are using sports as a political platform. We hope that FIFA remains committed to what it should be committed to: sports only,” Teper said.