Palestinian soccer head banned for inciting Messi hatred
FIFA has banned the head of Palestinian soccer from attending matches for a year for inciting hatred and violence toward Lionel Messi as part of a campaign to stop Argentina’s national team playing in Israel.
The FIFA disciplinary case against Palestinian soccer federation head Jibril Rajoub centred on statements he made to the media before Argentina abruptly abandoned the trip to Jerusalem for a game against Israel in June.
Rajoub “incited hatred and violence” by calling on “football fans to target the Argentinian Football Association and burn jerseys and pictures of Lionel Messi,” soccer’s governing body said.
Justifying cancelling the game, Argentina Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said the players felt “totally attacked, violated” after images emerged of the team’s white and sky-blue striped jerseys stained with red paint that resembled blood following Rajoub’s comments.