The final straw: The real reason why Palestine wants Israel out of FIFA
As the Asian qualifying tournament for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup kicked off in Doha in late March, onlookers couldn’t help but wonder, was one of the flags missing? Above the tribune facing the VIP stands were the flapping ensigns with the colors of every participating nation, but between the Kuwaiti and Chinese flags there was a wide gap. It was as if a flag was supposed to be there but wasn’t. This indeed turned out to be the case, as Palestine’s national team did in fact qualify for the tournament, but never made it to Qatar. Although slim, any chances of Palestine qualifying for the Beach Soccer World Cup later this year in Espinho, Portugal were all but dashed.
Only days before the tournament, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) contacted the Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSW), the governing body of beach soccer which falls under FIFA’s umbrella, and released a press release which read: “The Palestinian Football Association officially communicated to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Beach Soccer Worldwide that the team will not be able to take part in the competition, due to administrative issues outside the event.”
Source: mondoweiss.net