Sepp Blatter
Photo: AFP
Blatter: Palestinians showed 'big heart' in dropping anti-Israel proposal
FIFA president commends Palestinians for 'exceptional gesture' of removing proposal to suspend Israel from world soccer.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Palestinians 'acted with a big heart' by withdrawing their proposal to suspend Israel from the world soccer body. He commended the Palestinians for the gesture and said he hoped football could help lead to a resolution of the conflict.
"For the 3rd time consecutively at a FIFA Congress the situation between two federations, Israel and Palestine, has emerged. Yesterday we witnessed how Palestine acted with a big heart," he said.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter (Photo: Reuters)
Speaking to reporters at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Blatter said the Palestinians were "convinced that they could win a vote" but instead removed the proposal from the agenda. "This is an exceptional gesture that deserves to be commended, and I hope that this gesture will serve as a happy omen in the region between the two federations, but also between the two countries."
Blatter further emphasized his hope that "maybe football can be the precursor towards a solution that everybody wants. The two federations are independent, but they have proved that they can work together."
The chief of the global body governing international soccer was queried by reporters on a number of scandals that have plagued FIFA in recent days, including allegations of impropriety in the bidding process for hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar, respectively.
