"We are suffering!" That was Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub's response when FIFA's Gianni Infantino tried to orchestrate a reconciliation moment at the governing body's annual congress in Vancouver — and it tells you everything about how badly it went.
Infantino, minutes away from announcing his intention to run for re-election as FIFA president in 2027, called both the Israeli and Palestinian representatives back to the stage after their respective speeches. Israel FA vice president Basim Sheikh Suliman complied. Rajoub did not — instead holding an impassioned, largely inaudible conversation with Infantino on stage, while Suliman stood motionless several feet away like a man waiting for a bus that wasn't coming.
No handshake. No photo. No peace.
What Rajoub actually said — and why it matters
Rajoub's 15-minute speech was the substance of the entire exchange. He reminded delegates that FIFA's own disciplinary committee had already found "grave violations" by the Israeli FA — specifically around the operation of clubs in occupied Palestinian territory — and described these as "systematic failure" requiring "severe exemplary sanctions." Those aren't Palestinian talking points. Those are FIFA's own findings.
His ask was specific: stop allowing the Israeli FA to run an official league involving nine clubs based in settlements on Palestinian land. "This is a Palestinian territory by international law," he said. "The whole world recognizes this."
Suliman's response, meanwhile, spoke about Israeli-Arab co-existence within Israeli football — noting that 33% of registered teams are mixed Israeli and Arab — and extended what he called an open hand to the Palestinian FA. He didn't address the occupied territories question directly.
The gap between those two speeches is not something a group hug on stage was ever going to close.
Was the photo op pre-planned?
Sources with knowledge of the Congress arrangements told The Athletic it was. FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom was asked directly — twice — and declined to answer both times, defaulting to language about "staying in contact with member associations." The IFA's acting general secretary Yariv Teper denied it was pre-planned but called it "a missed opportunity."
Rajoub, pressed repeatedly on the same question, refused to give a straight answer. But he was clear on one thing: "Could I shake hands with someone representing a fascist and racist government? I don't think that he's a qualified partner to me."
At one point during the on-stage confusion, the FIFA livestream appeared to freeze. FIFA attributed it to a "technical issue." Whether that's true or not, it was an oddly fitting metaphor for the whole thing.
Infantino ended up hugging both men separately. They left the stage apart. When Rajoub returned to his seat, the delegates nearby applauded.
