Palestine Football Association denies reported FIFA youth match against Israel

The PFA said it had "not received any official communication or proposal from FIFA regarding such a match". The Palestine Football Association (PFA) has denied a reported plan for a FIFA under-15s match between Palestine and Israel. Reports earlier this week had suggested that the football world governing body was keen to schedule the two sides to play the opening fixture of a new annual youth tournament that's set to kick off its first edition later this year. The competition will be open to boys' and girls' teams from all 211 FIFA Member Associations, including Russia. In a statement on Thursday, the PFA said it had "not received any official communication or proposal from FIFA regarding such a match". "Our position is firm and unchanged," it continued. "Under the current circumstances, the PFA categorically rejects any attempt to promote or impose matches with an occupying power that systematically targets Palestinian athletes and sports infrastructure". FIFA president Gianni Infantino is said to be the driving force behind the idea, particularly after his failed attempt earlier this year to organise a handshake between PFA president Jibril Rajoub and Basim Sheikh Suliman, the vice president of Israel’s football governing body. Infantino attempted to bring the two men together on stage at the FIFA congress in Vancouver in April. But the pair remained far apart on stage, and Rajoub protested before departing. The PFA said in its statement on Thursday that more than 1,000 Palestinian athletes had been killed in the last three years, including former national football team captain Sulaiman Al-Obaid and karate champion Nagham Abu Samra. "This reality cannot be ignored or separated from any discussion about football activities involving Palestine," it added. Speaking about the new under-15s festival in December, Infantino said: “We have been very active in promoting youth competitions and development, and this is a natural next step". “Having FIFA U-15 festivals for boys and girls will be fundamental in FIFA’s quest to give every talent a chance all over the world and yet another example of how FIFA reinvests in the game," he added.