Palestine Football Association president denied entry into Australia ahead of World Cup qualifier in Perth

EXCEPTIONAL

Australian authorities rejected a request from the world footballpowerful governing body FIFA will allow Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub to enter the country on Tuesday World Cup qualifier against the Socceroos in Perth.

The Palestinian men’s team had to land WAthe capital on a private jet from Doha around 8:30am on Saturday (AWST), but Rajoub was not on the flight after the Home Office sensationally rejected his visa application.

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Fans gathered at the airport to greet the team.

Rajoub, who is also the head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, is a political leader and former activist who is being investigated by FIFA for allegedly “glorifying terrorism”.

He was also banned by FIFA for “inciting hatred and violence” towards Argentina megastar Lionel Messi.

The department was tight-lipped about the decision when contacted by 7NEWS, saying “all non-citizens applying for visas to enter Australia are considered on an individual basis against the legal requirements set out in Australia’s migration legislation”.

Of course, FIFA, the leading authority on the world games, has tried to use its considerable political power to intervene, but has done little to influence the Australian authorities.

“As is standard procedure for all 2026 FIFA World Cup preliminary round matches, the relevant participating member associations are in regular contact regarding the organization of the match, which includes, among other things, visa requirements to ensure that that every match is played as smoothly as possible,” FIFA said in a statement.

Australia host Palestine at HBF Park on Tuesday night in the second round of the Asian qualifiers.

The Socceroos continued their march towards the 2026 World Cup in North America with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka on Thursday.

World No.24 Australia top Group I and are already in the next round of qualifying after a five-game unbeaten run without conceding a goal.

Pending other results, a win against Palestine could see Australia rise up the world rankings and secure a better seeding for the next draw.