Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s attempt to orchestrate a handshake between Israel and Palestine football officials failed spectacularly in a heated moment at the Fifa Congress. Infantino invited the president of the Palestinian football federation, Jibril Rajoub, to join him on stage alongside Israel FA Vice-President Basim Sheikh Suliman in Vancouver.
Both men had spoken in front of hundreds of delegates, with Suliman remaining on stage after his address. After inviting Rajoub back on stage, Infantino called for both men to stand closer to him, but Rajoub declined the photo op and made his protests known. Unperturbed, Infantino put his hand on Rajoub’s arm and gestured for him to come closer again.
🇵🇸 FIFA President Infantino asked Palestinian FA chief Jibril Rajoub to shake hands with the head of Israeli football — to promote peace and unity.
Rajoub refused outright and left the stage. pic.twitter.com/Bam2LRXoJo
— NOVA (@NOVA_HD24) May 1, 2026
As Suliman stood motionless, Infantino and Rajoub’s conversation grew more impassioned, though the words were largely inaudible to those in the room or watching the live stream. Asked what Rajoub said when he refused, Palestinian FA Vice-President Susan Shalabi told Reuters: “I cannot shake the hand of someone the Israelis have brought to whitewash their fascism and genocide. We are suffering.”
As the two delegates stood apart, Infantino returned to the podium alone. “Let me please say something,” Infantino said. “Let me thank the two representatives from Israel and from Palestine, who have the same rights, duties and obligations, who are members of FIFA. We will work together, let’s work together to give hope to the children, let’s work together for that.”
“We have a beautiful under-15 tournament coming up, where we will invite all 211 countries to participate, all the children of the world, let’s do it for that. Let’s work together, you have my commitment, you have the support of the whole room,” he continued.
Infantino then hugged both men separately as they left the stage and went on to confirm his intentions to stand for re-election for a third full term next year.
However, his attempts to orchestrate the handshake were described as “absurd.” Vice-President Shalabi added: “To be put in a position where to have a handshake after everything that was said, this negates the whole purpose of the speech that the general was giving. He spent like 15 minutes trying to explain to everyone how the rules matter, how this could easily become a precedent where the rights of member associations are violated with impudence, and then we’ll just wrap this under the carpet. It was absurd.”
Read Original …WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Leave a Reply