Palestinian football officials worry Canada won't approve visas in time for FIFA meeting

Media reports published this week suggested that Palestinian soccer officials were barred from entering Canada ahead of the FIFA Congress slated to take place in Vancouver later this month.

But CBC News has learned that while emails from FIFA suggest Palestinian officials may be experiencing hurdles in the visa approval process, it appears that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has yet to issue final visa decisions.

The Guardian reported Thursday that three unnamed officials from the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) "have had applications for visas to enter Canada rejected" ahead of the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver on April 30. The annual legislative event allows all 212 member countries to discuss key issues in soccer.

Asked about the claims that PFA officials had visa application denied, PFA Vice-President Susan Shalabi told CBC in a statement that the news had come from FIFA, who said they were "passing on info they say they got from IRCC."

"This is the first time this has happened," Shalabi said. "We hope this will be sorted out soon."

One of the officials whose visa remains in question, according to Shalabi, is PFA President Jibril Rajoub.

In an email from the FIFA travel department viewed by CBC, a FIFA staffer writes that Rajoub's case has been "flagged" and the international soccer organization is "waiting for the final decision from IRCC."

PFA General Secretary Firas Abu Hilal was one of the other PFA officials who applied, according to Shalabi. The association's legal counsel, Spanish citizen Gonzalo Boye, later replaced Abu Hilal as a delegate on the application.

In another email, FIFA writes that IRCC had told them that "Mr. Gonzalo has a previous record of which he is aware."

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