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Palestinian Football Chief Says Was Refused US, Canada World Cup Visas

Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association speaks during the 65th FIFA Congress held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015. (Patrick B. Kraemer/Keystone via AP, File)
Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association speaks during the 65th FIFA Congress held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015. (Patrick B. Kraemer/Keystone via AP, File)
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Palestinian Football Chief Says Was Refused US, Canada World Cup Visas

Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association speaks during the 65th FIFA Congress held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015. (Patrick B. Kraemer/Keystone via AP, File)
Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association speaks during the 65th FIFA Congress held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015. (Patrick B. Kraemer/Keystone via AP, File)

The president of the Palestinian Football Association told AFP on Friday that he had been refused an entry visa for the United States and Canada to attend World Cup events.

Jibril Rajoub said he had however been able to enter Mexico to attend the World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City on Thursday, held before Mexico beat South Africa.

"They did not grant me a visa for the United States after I applied in (the Jordanian capital) Amman. Their behavior is ridiculous," Rajoub said in a telephone interview with AFP.

"I am currently in Mexico. I will attend Tunisia's match (in Monterrey against Sweden on June 14), and then I will return" to the Palestinian territories, he added.

Rajoub told AFP that he had also failed to obtain a visa for Canada, which is co-hosting the World Cup.

"Certain circles do not want us to criticize Israel," he said, claiming without providing evidence that "the Israelis had exerted pressure."

In April, Rajoub took part in the FIFA Congress in Vancouver -- but refused an invitation from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to participate in a group photo with an official from the Israeli Football Association.

The Palestinian Football Association has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against FIFA's decision not to impose sanctions on Israel over the participation of clubs located in the occupied West Bank in competitions supervised by the Israeli Football Association.

The Palestinian Football Association has long argued that clubs established in West Bank settlements should not take part in competitions organized by the Israeli Football Association.

US President Donald Trump's immigration policy has created problems for nationals from certain countries seeking entry to the United States.

Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry despite having a valid US visa. US authorities have also refused visas to some members of the Iran team's support staff as well as Senegalese and Ivorian supporters.

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FIFA Faces Protests in Toronto Over Israel Ties Ahead of Canada World Cup Match

]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
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FIFA Faces Protests in Toronto Over Israel Ties Ahead of Canada World Cup Match

]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Protesters unfurled a massive red banner on top of the World Cup logo near a busy highway in Toronto on Friday, denouncing FIFA's association with Israel, hours before Canada's first game.

Demonstrators donning shirts that read "Jews for a free Palestine" mounted a nearby embankment ‌and dropped the ‌banner with the message "Kick Israel out of ‌FIFA". ⁠

The banner was ⁠visible to commuters on the Gardiner Expressway - one of Canada's busiest - on their way to the home team's opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Toronto stadium.

Other actions organized by a group of activists included demands for the release of prominent Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who was captured ⁠by the Israeli military in Gaza in ‌late 2024.

Faisal Ibrahim, a spokesperson ‌for the activists, accused FIFA of being complicit with Israel's actions against ‌Palestinians.

"FIFA not only turns a blind eye to the ‌Israel Football Association's playing of games on illegally occupied West Bank and Syrian territory, it actually actively broadcasts those games, thereby normalizing occupation and erasure, which makes FIFA an active and complicit participant," ‌he told Reuters.

In March, global football's ruling body said it would take no action ⁠against Israeli clubs ⁠accused by the Palestine Football Association of competing while allegedly based in Palestinian territory, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, and led to assessments of genocide from scholars and a United Nations inquiry.

Israel strongly denies genocide accusations and calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in an October 2023 attack.

UN experts have also appealed to FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations to suspend Israel from international football.

Sports

Türkiye's Long World Cup Wait Set to End with Australia Showdown

Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)
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Türkiye's Long World Cup Wait Set to End with Australia Showdown

Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)

Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella ‌want his players to keep their emotions in check and make the country proud when they play their first World Cup match in 24 years against Australia in Vancouver on Saturday.

Türkiye's have not appeared at a World Cup finals since finishing third at the 2002 tournament, and Montella told a media conference on Friday they had to avoid being overwhelmed by the occasion.

"This is the day before something that we have been waiting for 24 years, we are very emotional and we trust we are going to do well," he said.

"We know ‌how many ‌challenges there are in the World Cup, but ‌we ⁠want to enjoy ⁠it and we want to be proud, and we want to make our nation proud of us.

"The first game is always the more important, even though it's not the one that decides the final results because you can gain points in future games, but of course, I think of this game as a game that is going to ⁠be important and that is going to help in ‌the future path of our team."

The ‌51-year-old said the current crop of players, who will also take on the ‌United States and Paraguay in Group D, were not to blame ‌for the fact that Türkiye had failed to reach the finals in more than two decades.

"I like telling my players that our success, it's not their fault that Türkiye was not at the World Cup for 24 ‌years, but they can be proud that we can be here again after 24 years and now ⁠they need ⁠to be playing at their best, give the game their all and just avoid thinking about the other stuff," he added.

For Montella, the key will be in staying focused in the first group game and getting off to a good start.

"There is so much enthusiasm and so much expectation that it (the game) is important for our players. I would like them to go out on the field and play with their own strengths with their own abilities - I don't want them to be under the weight of the emotional part," he said.

"I know that, when they play together but are feeling free and happy and without worrying too much, that's when they give their best."

Sports

David Beckham Gets Hollywood Star as World Cup Begins in US

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Tom Cruise, David and Victoria Beckham pictured during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Stu Forster/Getty Images/AFP
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Tom Cruise, David and Victoria Beckham pictured during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Stu Forster/Getty Images/AFP
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David Beckham Gets Hollywood Star as World Cup Begins in US

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Tom Cruise, David and Victoria Beckham pictured during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Stu Forster/Getty Images/AFP
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Tom Cruise, David and Victoria Beckham pictured during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Stu Forster/Getty Images/AFP

Football idol David Beckham joined the ranks of entertainment royalty on Friday when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, hours before the United States hosts its first game of the 2026 World Cup.

Film legend Tom Cruise was on hand to pay tribute to Beckham, who he said had changed the face of football in the United States, reported AFP.

Former Manchester United and England captain Beckham, 51, told a throng of fans on the sun-kissed boulevard it was a "truly incredible moment."

"I've always been a dreamer, but I could never have imagined that an honor like this would come to a working-class English soccer player like me," he said.

"How fitting then that I am here today as we prepare to celebrate the opening here in the US of the 2026 World Cup.

"It's a powerful moment to recognize how the sport I love so much has grown in this country over the past three decades."

Beckham, who spent six seasons with LA Galaxy from 2007, said he was deeply honored to be feted by a Hollywood film megastar.

"To stand here in front of my friend Tom Cruise, the greatest movie star of our time, is quite frankly mind-blowing," he said.

"You welcomed us to LA 20 years ago, and you have been a loyal friend and an inspiration to me ever since," he told the actor.

The "Mission: Impossible" star said Beckham's tenure in Los Angeles had been a huge part of the growth of football on this side of the Atlantic.

Beckham's arrival "changed this sport in this country. People who had never watched football or soccer suddenly had a reason to.

"When David arrived, Major League Soccer had 13 teams. Today, it has 30. That's the impact we're celebrating today: not just an extraordinary career, but a legacy that changed the trajectory of a sport."

Beckham's wife, Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls and now a fashion designer and businesswoman, said football was booming in the United States.

"Soccer in America is entering one of the most exciting chapters in its history, which makes this incredible honor feel all the more timely," she said.

The United States, which hosted the World Cup for the first time in 1994, is co-hosting this year's tournament alongside Mexico and Canada.

Beckham retired in 2013 after two decades with some of the world's most famous football outfits, including Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

He later invested in Inter Miami CF, which signed Argentine superstar Lionel Messi in 2023 and won the MLS title last season for the first time in its history.

Beckham also ventured into the entertainment industry, founding the content production company Studio 99 in 2019.