Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub refused to pose for a photo with Israeli soccer official Basim Sheikh Suliman at the FIFA Congress on Thursday. This occurred after both men addressed delegates.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino invited Rajoub and Suliman to stand beside him at the end of the Congress. However, Rajoub declined repeated attempts to stage the photo. During the tense exchange, Rajoub said, “We are suffering.”
The incident came after the Palestinian Football Association appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over FIFA’s refusal to sanction Israel regarding football clubs based in the West Bank.
Hoy, el miserable de Infantino, presidente de la FIFA, ha intentado obligar al presidente de la Federación Palestina de Fútbol, Jibril Rajoub, dar la mano del presidente sionista de la Federación de Israel que extermina al pueblo de Palestina. El presidente palestino lo rechazó pic.twitter.com/NhFiSC5kYc
— Fonsi Loaiza (@FonsiLoaiza) April 30, 2026The Palestinian Football Association says Israeli football authorities should not allow clubs based in West Bank settlements to compete in their leagues.
In 2024, United Nations experts identified at least eight football clubs playing in “Israeli colonial settlements” and urged FIFA to uphold its human rights responsibilities.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Rajoub urged FIFA to “apply the statutes with fairness, with logic.”
Rajoub said attacks had destroyed Palestinian sports facilities in Gaza. He added that hundreds of Palestinian athletes and employees had been killed.
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“I refused to shake hands. How can I shake hands or have a photo with such a man?” Rajoub told reporters, referring to Suliman.
