GAZA, Palestine (Al-Jazeera) - The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has criticized a planned exhibition match in Al-Quds involving Spanish side Barcelona.
In a letter to the world governing body FIFA, PFA chairman Jibril Rajoub said Al-Quds has been declared a divided city in a United Nations resolution and that Barcelona’s planned opponents Beitar Jerusalem are a racist club.
“Although we do not have the right to tell any club how to organize its friendly matches, we have the right to object to the choice of Al-Quds as the venue for the proposed match,” Rajoub said in the letter, which was also addressed to football’s European and Asian governing bodies, UEFA and AFC.
“According to international law, Al-Quds is a divided city and its eastern part is considered occupied Palestinian land, which gives the Palestinian Football Association jurisdiction over any football activities that take place in this part,” he continued.
Rajoub went on to say that the accompanying events for the planned match include activities scheduled to take place within the Old City of occupied East Al-Quds, which “constitute a violation of our rights”.