Palestinian Football Leader Awaits U.S. Visa in Mexico City

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The president of the Palestinian Football Association is currently in Mexico City, awaiting clearance to enter the United States along with various other federation leaders for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Djibril Rajoub participated in the opening match featuring Mexico and South Africa on Thursday. Despite being invited to the World Cup, he, along with several others, has either been denied a visa or hasn’t received one from the U.S. yet.

“I don’t think it’s fair to take advantage of, abuse or deny every soccer player in the world the right to participate,” Rajoub expressed during an interview with The Associated Press, highlighting his concerns.

Even though the Palestinian team did not qualify, FIFA usually invites heads of worldwide soccer associations to the event, recognizing it as a celebration of global unity.

Last year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino mentioned, “Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States at next year’s FIFA World Cup. We are working on making that happen.”

However, entry to the U.S. has been refused to representatives from several countries, including a referee from Somalia and a photographer accompanying a team in Iraq.

Infantino noted this week that FIFA has been striving to address the visa issue, but ultimately, they cannot override the decisions made by the U.S. government. “We need to respect that we are not kings of the world who can rule the government and the police,” he added during a press conference.

The U.S. State Department did not provide immediate comments regarding Rajoub’s visa. Nonetheless, last year new restrictions were implemented that particularly target Palestinian passport holders, including those affiliated with the Palestinian Authority.

Interestingly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was permitted to attend the United Nations General Assembly last September, despite earlier visa cancellations.

Rajoub and other Palestinian soccer officials have consistently argued that Israel violates the law by allowing teams from occupied West Bank settlements to compete in Israel’s domestic league. They’ve called upon FIFA to impose sanctions on Israel and expressed discontent about the limitations placed on Palestinian athletes. Reports indicate that about 80% of sports facilities in the area have been damaged or destroyed, with at least 565 athletes losing their lives in the recent conflicts.

Notably, last month, Rajoub declined to shake hands with the head of the Israel Football Federation, adhering to Infantino’s guidelines, stating that such gestures wouldn’t heal wounds but would rather sanitize Israel’s actions.

Rajoub also observed that when Russia hosted the World Cup in 2018, there were no similar visa restrictions for those invited to the tournament.