FIFA is proposing that the opening match of their inaugural under-15s football festival should be Israel against Palestine.
The new tournament is set to take place in the United States in September and is open to all 211 of FIFA’s member associations, including Russia — which has been banned from FIFA competitions since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
FIFA hope for the festival to get underway with a match between Israel and Palestine, according to sources with knowledge of the plans, which follows on from Gianni Infantino’s failed attempt to get representatives from their football federations to shake hands and pose for a photo together on the stage at the organization’s annual congress on April 30.
Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian Football Association’s president, and Basim Sheikh Suliman, the Israel Football Association’s vice president, had separately addressed hundreds of delegates at the congress in Vancouver.
Suliman (l) with Infantino (c) and Rajoub (r) in April. (Don MacKinnon / AFP via Getty Images)
Infantino invited both of them back on stage, but failed to get them together, with Rajoub pleading, ‘We are suffering!’
Following a tense moment on stage, which saw Rajoub and Infantino locked in an impassioned conversation while Suliman stood on his own several feet away, the FIFA president then referenced the new festival.
“We have a beautiful under-15 tournament coming up, where we will invite all 211 countries to participate, all the children of the world, let’s do it for that,” Infantino said on stage. “Let’s work together, you have my commitment, you have the support of the whole room.”
In another attempt to broker peace, FIFA’s proposal is for the respective Israeli and Palestinian Under-15s to play against each other. Israel has committed to expanding its control of Palestinian territories despite a cease-fire with Hamas, per the New York Times.
“Our FA President, Moshe Zuares, will stick to what he said publicly several times at FIFA congress and everywhere — we are more than ever willing to use football as an instrument to promote normalization and peace,” a spokesperson for the IFA told The Athletic.
“Our hands are always extended for a better future for everyone. We hope to find a brave partner on the other side”.
The PFA did not respond to a request for comment regarding FIFA’s proposal.
It remains to be seen whether either side will compete at the festival.
The new tournament was announced at the FIFA Council meeting in December, and it will involve shorter matches and smaller pitches. The teams will comprise between seven and nine players per side.
This year’s edition, which could be hosted in Miami, will feature just boys’ teams. The second instalment — in 2027 — will feature girls’ teams.
“We have been very active in promoting youth competitions and development, and this is a natural next step, and a very joyous one,” Infantino said in a statement in December.
“Having FIFA U-15 festivals for boys and girls will be fundamental in FIFA’s quest to give every talent a chance all over the world and yet another example of how FIFA reinvests in the game.”
