Palestine football chief says he wasn’t granted US visa to attend World Cup

Jibril Rajoub is in Mexico awaiting a US visa to attend the World Cup 2026.The head of the Palestinian Football Association says he is waiting in Mexico City for permission to enter the United States to attend the FIFA World Cup with other federation heads.Jibril Rajoub attended the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday, but he has now joined several people accredited to attend the World Cup who have been denied visas or have yet to receive them from the US.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Activists form human Palestine flag at World Cup opener in Mexico Citylist 2 of 2Israel football dispute to ‘heat up’ after protest in Ireland-Qatar matchend of list“I don’t believe that it’s fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend,” the veteran Palestinian political figure told The Associated Press news agency.The Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, but FIFA typically invites the heads of football associations from around the world to the event every four years, which it frames as a celebration of global unity.“Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year. We are working exactly for that,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last year.The US, however, has refused entry to delegates from several countries, including a referee from Somalia and a photographer travelling with Iraq’s team.Infantino said this week that FIFA had been trying to resolve visa issues but could not overrule the US government.“We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces,” he told reporters on Wednesday.Visa dispute revives long-running football tensionsThe US Department of State had no immediate comment on Rajoub’s visa, but last year implemented new restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, including on anyone who had been employed by the Palestinian Authority.