Palestine Football Association president denied entry to Canada for Fifa event: Report

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BC Place StadiumThe president of the Palestine Football Association (PFA), as well as two other officials from the organisation, have been denied visas to Canada for the annual Fifa Congress, which is being held in Vancouver on 30 April, The Guardian revealed on Friday.

Canada is one of the hosts of this year's World Cup, alongside the US and Mexico.

The PFA has now urged Fifa - football's governing body - to intervene on its behalf.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has said it would not divulge details on individual cases, but that "applications are considered on a case-by-case basis based on the information presented by the applicant".

Last month, after carrying out an investigation based on a 2024 complaint, Fifa insisted that "the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law", and therefore, it would "take no action". 

In February, the groups Irish Sport for Palestine, Scottish Sport for Palestine, Just Peace Advocates, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, and Sport Scholars for Justice in Palestine filed a 120-page complaint with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against Fifa's president, The New York Times reported.

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PFA president Jibril Rajoub was reportedly set to address the Fifa Congress on the matter of Israel holding football matches in the West Bank, which is illegally occupied land, according to the United Nations.