Back to the Soccer Newsfeed

Soccer-Israel must drop restrictions to avoid ban vote-Palestinian FA

By Ali Sawafta

RAMALLAH, West Bank, April 22 (Reuters) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter will travel to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders next month to try to avert a vote to suspend Israel from world soccer's governing body, Palestinian FA (PFA) chief Jibril Rajoub said on Wednesday.

Rajoub said he hoped Blatter would be able to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lift all restrictions against Palestinian athletes and to treat the PFA as equals.

He added that he would accept nothing less in exchange for dropping his call for a vote proposing Israel's suspension at next month's FIFA Congress in Zurich.