Anti-Arab discrimination threatens World Cup’s luster

They say that sport can temper the bitterness of politics, but that is not really true when they relate to the long-standing Arab-Israeli conflict. And that has been made clear by the actions of FIFA and its 2026 World Cup, which began last week.

FIFA, the international football governing body, should register as a partisan political organization in America rather than as a sports association, given the recent torrent of bans, expulsions, detentions and unfair treatment of certain teams and individuals. Even worse is the hypocritical and contradictory manner in which it has responded to alleged incidents of discrimination and racism by World Cup co-host the US.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine and their respective allies appears to be a playing field for this hypocrisy.

There is a long history of sport eclipsing politics, but only with respect to certain countries. In recent months, the discrimination has been clear.

After several Indonesian politicians and regional governors demanded in March 2023 that Israel be banned from the FIFA Under-20 World Cup Indonesia was hosting because of the Israeli government’s racist and discriminatory policies in the Occupied Territories, FIFA acted swiftly and decisively. It rescinded Indonesia’s host nation status and moved the tournament to Argentina weeks before kickoff.

There has been a torrent of bans, expulsions, detentions and unfair treatment of certain teams and individuals

Ray Hanania

Gianni Infantino, who has served as FIFA president since 2016, has avoided addressing the politics that fuel the criticism of Israel’s abuses, including against Palestinian footballers. He noted FIFA requires “all national hosts” to accommodate “all qualified teams.” Infantino framed the Indonesia controversy in the context of World Cup host nations having to fulfill their responsibilities to the sport and its competitors.

The revocation of Indonesia’s role as host nation was in line with the tough position FIFA took against Russia, whose national team was banned from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February that year. Russia remains suspended by FIFA today.

Yet, despite these precedents, Infantino and FIFA have taken a much more ambivalent approach in responding to discrimination and conflict for this year’s tournament. In recent months, FIFA officials have basically remained silent and done little to stand up to border racism, harassment and discrimination against Arab and Muslim players and officials.

Infantino also did not consider the brutality inflicted on Palestinians engaged in sports by Israel’s apartheid government. Facing these difficulties, the Palestinian team fell short in qualifying and failed to make it to the 2026 World Cup.

Palestinian players have been denied the ability to travel to games in the West Bank, while a surge of attacks by Jewish settlers, protected by the Israeli military, made it impossible for Palestinian players to move through the Occupied Territories.

The discrimination against the Palestine team increased after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. The team was unable to host its “home” qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, meaning they had to be played at neutral venues outside of Israel’s racist territorial restrictions.

As if to emphasize this unfair situation, FIFA remained silent when the US denied a visa to Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestine Football Association, who carried official FIFA accreditation, to attend World Cup games in the country.

Iraq’s star striker, Aymen Hussein, was detained and questioned for about seven hours at Chicago O’Hare Airport

Ray Hanania

That is likely because Jibril “embarrassed” FIFA in April, when Infantino tried to orchestrate a handshake between the Palestinian and Israeli delegates at the governing body’s congress in Vancouver, Canada. Rajoub refused to stand alongside Israel Football Association Vice President Basim Sheikh Suliman, leading to an awkward moment at the end of the 76th FIFA Congress, despite repeated entreaties by Infantino.

But it is not only Palestinians that have been singled out during this World Cup. Somali referee Omar Artan was last week denied entry to the US despite holding a visa. Artan and Somali officials suggested the decision may have been discriminatory based on his nationality. FIFA called the situation “unfortunate,” while US authorities cited vetting concerns rather than discrimination.

Iraq’s star striker, Aymen Hussein, was detained and questioned for about seven hours on arrival at Chicago O’Hare Airport before being allowed into the US. A team photographer was also detained for more than 10 hours and ultimately denied entry. While not a player, he was part of the official Iraqi delegation.

Iran’s players were granted visas and allowed to compete despite the conflict between their country and the US, but team officials complained of delays and restrictions affecting their preparations. For example, they were forced to switch their base from Arizona to Mexico at short notice and could not stay in the US for more than a few hours after their opening game against New Zealand on Monday.

Faced with widespread criticism, Infantino announced on Monday that he plans to make an Israel versus Palestine fixture the opening match of a new under-15s tournament being held in the US in September. The competition is expected to be open to all 211 FIFA members, including Russia.

No one maintains data on these incidents of discrimination the way they meticulously tabulate World Cup scores. But if this is the tip of the iceberg, these incidents symbolize trends that threaten to undermine the World Cup’s fundamental luster.

• Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X: @RayHanania