Palestine Football Association president denied entry to Canada for Fifa event: Report

The president of the Palestine Football Association (PFA), as well as two other officials from the organisation, have been denied visas to Canada for the annual Fifa Congress, which is being held in Vancouver on 30 April, The Guardian revealed on Friday.

Canada is one of the hosts of this year's World Cup, alongside the US and Mexico.

The PFA has now urged Fifa - football's governing body - to intervene on its behalf.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has said it would not divulge details on individual cases, but that "applications are considered on a case-by-case basis based on the information presented by the applicant".

PFA president Jibril Rajoub was reportedly set to address the Fifa Congress on the matter of Israel holding football matches in the West Bank, which is illegally occupied land, according to the United Nations. 

Last month, after carrying out an investigation based on a 2024 complaint, Fifa insisted that "the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law", and therefore, it would "take no action". 

In February, the groups Irish Sport for Palestine, Scottish Sport for Palestine, Just Peace Advocates, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, and Sport Scholars for Justice in Palestine filed a 120-page complaint with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against Fifa's president, The New York Times reported.

The complaint names Gianni Infantino and European football governing body president Aleksander Ceferin and accuses them of "aiding war crimes". 

"FIFA and UEFA permit [Israeli] clubs to play in leagues organised by the Israel Football Association and host matches on the seized land," the groups said. 

US risks

The visa denials come as Canada's southern neighbour has faced sluggish ticket sales due to exorbitant pricing, as well as fears that foreigners, both tourists and immigrants, would become targets for federal officials during the tournament.

It's unclear if there is a connection between immigration decisions made in the US and those made in Canada, but the border agencies have shared intelligence in the past. 

Since the Trump administration took office 15 months ago, new barriers to entry have been rolled out, including social media vetting for visitors.

There have been several cases of people being denied entry after border officers found content on their phones that reflected criticism of the US government. 

Others have spent weeks in filthy and cramped conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centres before finally being allowed to return to their home countries. The facilities are privately run, and the companies make money from each individual taken into custody. 

In December, Andrew Giuliani, the man leading the White House Fifa World Cup 2026 Task Force, made it clear that the Trump administration cannot guarantee that non-US citizens will be safe from ICE raids at stadiums.

In July, a father of two young children was arrested by ICE at a Fifa Club World Cup game in New Jersey. Human Rights Watch issued a statement at the time calling for "immediate action to address US policies that create risk and threaten FIFA’s ability to uphold its stated values of human rights, inclusion, and global participation". 

Giuliani said the arrest was due to the man flying a drone to take a family photo.