The head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, tells the Times of Israel that the vote to expel Israel from FIFA will take place on Friday, as planned, and lays out his terms.
Rajoub says he expects a large majority to back the bid, and says of the 209 votes, only a minority will oppose the vote to oust Israel from the soccer organization. He says that on Wednesday, during a meeting between several soccer representatives from Africa and the Israeli envoy in Switzerland, most of the African soccer chiefs walked out.
“We’re talking about the most basic rights. We demand that they allow us to play soccer, and let us act freely with regard to sports, and ask that FIFA supervise that,” he says.
“Moreover, we want FIFA to investigate the Israeli violations against Palestinian athletes and that Israel stop operating sports clubs on occupied Palestinian lands. If Israel does not agree to all this, then the vote on expelling the Israeli team will take place tomorrow. We’re not against the sport, but we are against racist policies that discriminates. The Israeli soccer association must stop acting like the executor of Likud policy.”
— Avi Issacharoff
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 28, 2015
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