Gianni Infantino’s attempt at forcing Israel-Palestine handshake back…

Gianni Infantino’s attempt to force a handshake between representatives of the Israel Football Association and the Palestine football federation backfired spectacularly and instead caused a heated moment at the Fifa Congress in Vancouver.

The Fifa president, who opened the congress bysaying football has the power to “unite the world”, called Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestinian football federation, and Basim Sheikh Suliman, the Israel FA vice-president, onto the stage and in front of the other delegates in the room.

But Rajoub refused to stand next to Suliman when Infantino attempted to bring them closer together for a handshake and photo opportunity, and stood his ground when Infantino placed a hand on his shoulder and encouraged him to cooperate. Suliman was also motionless. mwafrika.life

WhenRajoub refused to stand with his counterpart, he shouted “we are suffering” to the crowd. Infantino then approached Rajoub in a move to defuse the situation and spoke into his ear before they shook hands and he left the stage. Infantino also embraced Suliman before they all left the stage to applause.

Rajoub and Suliman had earlier addressed the congress and gave separate speeches. Rajoub used his speech to criticise Fifa’s decision not to sanction Israel over football clubs based in West Bank settlements. Last week, the PFA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against Fifa’s ruling.

Speaking to members of the media afterwards, Rajoub said: “The guy who spoke on behalf of Israel, he did not even pay attention to the suffering, to what’s going on. He is trying to whitewash the ugly face of this Israeli government. Genocide, ethnic cleansing. We had to suspend all sport activities because of the Israeli occupation, suffocation, restriction, killing, arresting and so on.

“Could I shake hands with someone representing a fascist and racist government, defending even the policies of this government? I don’t think that I have to shake hands. I don’t think that he’s a qualified partner to me. While I understand, I recognise that the Israeli Federation has the right to organise and develop sport, but within their internationally recognised borders. Was he ready to say that for the Palestinians?”

Israel has denied committing genocide in ⁠Gaza. Asked what Rajoub said when he refused, Palestinian FA vice-president Susan Shalabi, who was in the room, told Reuters: “I cannot shake the hand of someone the Israelis have brought to whitewash their fascism and ⁠genocide. We are suffering.”

Rajoub added: “I think Gianni has the right to try to bridge gaps and bring people together, but I think maybe he does not understand or does not know the deep suffering of the Palestinian people.”

In his speech, Suliman said: “I speak to you about all this because I believe football is supposed to build bridges between us and our brothers and neighbours, the Palestinians, and today I call upon everyone here to contribute in projects and initiatives to change the reality of today.

“The Israel FA has supported the existence of the Palestinian FA since day one and we still have the same position. We are proud of our squads and their squads. In football, there is no place for politics, and everyone has the right to play and compete. We are members of the World Football Association.”

Infantino responded to the lack of a handshake between Rajoub and Suliman by insisting he hopes to stage a “beautiful” Under-15s tournament that will feature both countries alongside all 211 member associations.

“Let me thank the two representatives from Israel and from Palestine, who have the same rights, duties and obligations, who are members of Fifa,” Infantino said. “We will work together, let’s work together to give hope to the children, let’s work together for that.”

The incident came after Infantino confirmed that Iran will compete at the World Cup and play its games in the United States as planned. “The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together,” he said.

Infantino also confirmed that he will be standing for re-election in 2027, after he was previously re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. “I’m honoured and humbled at the same time, and I want to tell you first, the 211 member associations, I want to confirm to you that I will be a candidate for the election of Fifa president next year.”

Guardiola dismissed the tight schedule, noting that fixture congestion is part of the football calendar and that his focus is on preparation. Meanwhile, Salah is still sidelined as his recovery continues. German coach Hürzeler has publicly expressed confidence in Welbeck’s chances to make the World Cup squad.

Jannik Sinner is only 24, but he’s already achieved more than most players dream of in a lifetime.

Even more impressive is the fact that he keeps getting better. The world number one has a bright future ahead and looks set to share the top of the sport with Carlos Alcaraz for years to come.

At some point, though, someone new will have to break through.

“He was pushing me very hard and I like these kinds of matches because you always have to find something different. It’s never going only in one way,” Sinner said after his victory over Jodar at Roland-Garros. “I tried to mix up a little bit the game plan today. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not.”

Jannik Sinner shares advice for Rafael Jodar following their Madrid Open quarter-final

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Sinner explained what he said to Jodar: “I told him that I wish him the best for the season, to keep working, to keep improving, and that’s all.”

The Italian also took a moment to share some advice with the rising star: “My advice is always to avoid pressure as much as possible. I know there will always be many words on and off the court, but at the end of the day, the player must move forward.

“What he is doing is incredible; I wish him the best, but at the same time you shouldn’t push too hard because sometimes it gets into your head and it’s very difficult to get rid of.

“He’s a good guy, has a good family behind him, his father is very humble, he has a good bubble that is very beneficial for him.

“I think he will have incredible results in the future. There will always be other younger players in a couple of years as usual but he has everything he needs.”

Sinner had high praise for Jodar immediately after their match, and with more time to reflect on their Madrid Open encounter, his respect for his opponent seemed only to grow.

Why Sinner’s words of encouragement could come back to haunt him

Just as Novak Djokovic may wish he hadn’t given early advice to Sinner and his coach Darren Cahill, the four-time Grand Slam winner could find himself feeling the same about his comments towards Jodar.

Jodar didn’t look out of place, either. He pushed Sinner hard, creating seven break points during the match and taking the second set all the way to a tiebreak.

It may not happen overnight, but Jodar looks ready to challenge the current dominance on tour. Considering how quickly he’s already climbed up the rankings, that time might be closer than many realise.

Sinner’s advice — and this match itself — should give Jodar plenty of motivation. He now has a clear picture of what it takes at this level and will surely return stronger for it.

Read more:

Hearts boss Derek McInnes says he wants to see Tynecastle in "its full glory" on Monday night when Rangers arrive in the capital.

The Edinburgh side hold a three-point lead over Celtic with Rangers a further point behind in third.

With four matches left to play each game becomes more significant, but for McInnes the players must remain focused and not look too far ahead.

Before a huge night, he issued a rallying call to the support to help the team make the most of an opportunity for a massive step forward.

"The motivation in these types of games has always been pretty clear," he said.

"Our record would suggest that we always feel we have been the underdog in any of these games when we play Rangers and Celtic. But we've always been an underdog with real belief in what we're doing. The results we've had have been a testament to that.

"We just want Tynecastle to be in its full glory, to be honest. We want it to be even better than it's been. To the supporters, bring your scarves, show your colours, give it laldy.

"Let's go and make it a proper night. We'll be determined to get the right result. We see it as a fight that we can win.

"Win, lose or draw, we're still in the fight. We're just determined to try and make the most of the opportunity particularly at Tynecastle."

• Are Celtic & Hearts fans really rooting for their rivals?

• Rangers blink but twists still to come in colossal title race

As he faced the media on Friday, McInnes said the game couldn't come soon enough for him but he admitted the occasion, with an unusual tea-time kick-off on a bank holiday, was one worth looking forward to.

"I wish the game was tomorrow because it's like you just want to get the game played," he said. "But of course you look forward to these games.

"I love the games at Tynecastle, and in particular the whole build-up to it, so there's obviously a lot riding on the game. We can't downplay that and why would we?

"It's a brilliant game to be involved in and I think all the Hearts supporters that I've spoken to are eagerly anticipating the game. Monday at half five is unusual but it's not going to dilute what's going to be unfolding.

"The start of the game will be magnificent, and hopefully the end of the game is even better."

The Hearts head coach says Rangers will be hurting after last week's loss at home to Motherwell and, given the level of investment this season, they will be seeking an instant response as the games begin to run out.

"I think when you spend £40m assembling a squad, you expect to win games," he said. "So for us to even be ahead of a team who have spent that type of money is an incredible achievement.

"From our point of view you would expect a challenge from Rangers when there's that level of investment. They've got so many good players and every game against them has been really quite competitive.

"We've obviously won a couple, we've lost one at Ibrox recently in February so we're well aware of what we need to do to come out the other end of it.

"To overcome good teams you need to concentrate on your own performance and hopefully we can be good enough. I understand the nerves but I want the supporters not to be nervous."

Why Giants' Drew Gilbert nearly let fly ball hit the ground in sneaky move vs. Phillies originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When Alec Bohm lofted a fly ball nearly 400 feet to centerfield with the winning run Adolis Garcia on third base, the game was essentially over.

The Philadelphia Phillies were going to walk it off on a sacrifice fly unless San Francisco Giants centerfielder Drew Gilbert could pull off something magical.

Gilbert went with a move many people hadn't seen before, one that had the potential to be brilliant.

It didn't work, but this was a low-odds situation anyway. It was worth a shot.

MORE: How son Justin Crawford made history like his father, Carl, with Don Mattingly

What did Drew Gilbert do?

Gilbert opted to catch the ball as close to the ground as possible.

Normally, an outfielder will catch the ball up above their shoulder. In this case, they'd try to get a quick running start to build momentum through a catch up high right into a throw toward home.

Gilbert knew he was too deep to have any chance of such a throw getting Garcia, so instead, he went for something tricky.

Why did Drew Gilbert do this?

The goal of Gilbert's approach was to get Garcia to leave third base early.

A runner would be used to the timing of the ball dropping into a glove up by the shoulders. That extra split-second could've gotten Garcia to bite.

Super sneaky move here by Drew Gilbert catching the fly ball as low as possible to try and get Adolis to bite and leave early on the tag up. Don't think i've ever seen that. pic.twitter.com/QqDn2lrgVr

— SoxOptimist (@OptimistSox) May 1, 2026

Garcia was likely patient in this situation, knowing that it was too deep to throw him out. No reason to risk even being close to leaving early.

With instant replay in place now, it's easier to potentially catch a guy leaving early in this case, so Gilbert did his best. It didn't work, but it was worth a shot.