The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, got into a political scandal at the organization's 76th congress, which took place in Vancouver, Canada, after he tried to mediate the conclusion of peace between the representatives of the Palestinian and Israeli football associations.
The event took place on Thursday. Infantino announced that Iran's national team will participate in the 2026 World Cup and will hold its games in the United States, and also announced his intention to be re-elected as FIFA president.
During the assembly, Infantino invited the head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, and the vice president of the Israel Football Association, Basim Sheikh Suleiman, to come on stage and take a photo together, but Rajoub declined the FIFA president's request.
Infantino then took to the podium to declare that Palestine and Israel have equal rights and responsibilities as FIFA members, urging them to work together "for the children" and shake hands on stage. The head of the Palestinian Football Association again rejected the offer, shook Infantino's hand, kissed him on the cheek and left the stage.
After the convention, Rajoub told reporters that he refused to shake hands with the representative of Israel because he considered it wrong to shake hands with someone who represents and supports a "fascist and racist government."
