FIFA hosts Palestinian, Israeli soccer heads

FIFA president Sepp Blatter hosts the presidents of the Israeli and Palestinian soccer associations in Zurich for talks aimed at mending relations between the two parties.

The world game’s governing body said the main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Palestinian FA’s request to suspend their Israeli counterparts at the upcoming FIFA congress.

FIFA adds that “both member associations agreed to pursue the dialogue” after the talks involving PFA head Jibril Rajoub and his IFA counterpart Ofer Eini.

Blatter had previously spoken out against suspending the Israeli FA, saying at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) general assembly in Cairo last week: “Such a situation should not come up at the FIFA congress because the suspension of a federation, whatever the reason may be, is always damaging to the organisation as a whole.”

— AFP