"The PFA board doesn't want Palestine's seat to be empty." That's PFA Vice-President Susan Shalabi, speaking from Ramallah, hoping Canadian immigration sorts itself out before the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver on April 30. Right now, that's not a given.
Reports emerged this week claiming three Palestinian Football Association officials had their Canadian visa applications outright rejected. The reality is murkier — and in some ways more troubling. FIFA's own travel department has been emailing the PFA with updates suggesting applications are "flagged" and awaiting "final decisions" from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). No firm rejections confirmed by the Canadian government. Just silence, and a deadline approaching fast.
What's actually happening with the applications
PFA President Jibril Rajoub's case has been flagged, according to a FIFA travel department email viewed by CBC. FIFA says it's waiting on IRCC's call. A separate delegate, Spanish lawyer Gonzalo Boye — who stepped in after PFA General Secretary Firas Abu Hilal's application ran into trouble — appears to be a cleaner rejection. IRCC told FIFA his application "will not proceed" due to a "previous record." Boye served eight years in a Spanish prison for his role in a 1988 kidnapping carried out by Basque separatist group ETA. Canada's admissibility rules don't bend for FIFA credentials.
IRCC, as is standard, won't comment on individual cases. Their line: applications are assessed case-by-case, all applicants must meet eligibility requirements, regardless of nationality. Over 10 countries, per Shalabi, are still waiting on visas. The Lebanese FA confirmed its delegates have theirs and will travel as planned.
Shalabi herself holds a European passport and has cleared travel authorization. She'll be there. Whether anyone else from the PFA joins her is the question.
Why this matters beyond the optics
The FIFA Congress isn't a ceremonial gathering. It's the one event where all 212 member associations can directly participate in global football governance. Miss it, and you've lost your annual seat at the table. For the PFA specifically, the stakes are unusually high right now.
The association is locked in an ongoing dispute over Israeli football clubs operating in West Bank settlements — a case they took to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA's Disciplinary Committee issued sanctions in March that the PFA said didn't go nearly far enough. The PFA's own statement called out "systemic discriminatory conduct" and conduct "capable of amounting to incitement to genocide." They're appealing. The Congress is where that fight continues in a public forum.
Sports law expert Kat Vilarev put it plainly: "It is supposed to be very concerning for just about anyone in football governance." A member association blocked from the Congress, whatever the reason, sets an uncomfortable precedent. Whether this is administrative delay, bureaucratic friction, or something else, the optics land poorly on a World Cup host nation that needs goodwill from all 212 FIFA members heading into 2026.
"This is not good for FIFA or the World Cup," Shalabi said. She's not wrong — and neither FIFA nor Canada Soccer have said a word about it.
