Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub refused to shake hands or even stand beside Israel Football Association Vice President Basim Sheikh Suliman during a tense exchange at the FIFA Congress Thursday.

Both officials were invited to the stage by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, but the Palestinian representative resisted efforts to bring him closer to his Israeli counterpart.

Infantino briefly placed a hand on Rajoub’s arm and gestured for him to step forward, but Rajoub did not comply.

The Palestinian FA, led by Rajoub, has long pushed for Israel to be suspended from international soccer competition.

Rajoub defended his decision, saying he remains committed to formal processes but believes stronger action is needed.

“I still respect and follow the legal procedure, but I think it’s time to understand that Israel should be sanctioned. The double-standard policy should stop,” Rajoub said, according to The Times of Israel.

“I refused to shake hands. Sport is sport. … For me, that should be respected, but if the other side is representing a criminal like Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and speaking on behalf of Bibi as if Bibi is Mother Teresa, how can I shake hands or have a photo with such a man?

HS BASKETBALL COACH SUSPENDED AFTER HANGING UP PALESTINIAN FLAG, REFUSING TO SHAKE HANDS WITH JEWISH COACHES

“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.”

After the exchange, Infantino addressed the room, urging cooperation.

“We will work together, President Rajoub, Vice President Suliman. Let’s work together to give hope to the children. These are complex matters,” Infantino said.

Speaking just before the incident, Suliman emphasized the unifying role of the sport.

“In football, there is no place for politics,” Suliman said. “Everyone has the right to play and compete. We are teaching children values like respect, equality and love for others, and we hope that by the next time we meet, the situation will be better. We extend a hand to the Palestinian FA in the spirit of those shared values.”

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UEFA was reportedly moving toward a vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza in September, but the motion was put on pause. 

Infantino announced no action would be taken against the team on Oct. 3 after a historic peace proposal by President Donald Trump and Netanyahu.

However, even after the peace proposal, Israeli sports teams have faced opposition and exclusion.

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Posted along the left-field fence at Birmingham High are the years it won City Section baseball titles: 1964, 1966, 1969, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023.

Nowhere is there any recognition for winning a West Valley League title. That’s because the current coach, Matt Mowry, has won five City titles and zero league titles during his 20 seasons. He might need to make room for a first West Valley title after the Patriots completed a two-game sweep this week of El Camino Real, winning on Friday 9-1.

Nathan Soto struck out five and walked none in six innings. Carlos Acuna, Toni Mendoza and Jordan Lindsay each had two hits.

The Patriots (22-4, 11-2) have a one-game lead over El Camino Real (18-8, 10-3) going into a two-game series with Cleveland next week. Athletic director Rick Prizant has always joked with Mowry that he wants City titles, not necessarily league titles, but the players were determined this season to end Mowry’s drought.

“Our guys came in with a good approach and stuck to it and performed in all aspects,” Mowry said.

The hitters continued their mastery of El Camino Real pitching, hitting one ball after another to right field. During a seven-run third inning, Aidan Martinez had the big hit, a two-run double down the right-field line. Acuna followed with an RBI single, Mendoza had a two-run single and JuJu Monroe-Truitt had an RBI single.

Chatsworth 1, Cleveland 0: Isaiah Sanchez threw a five-hit shutout for the Chancellors.

Granada Hills 5, Taft 1: Foss Bohlen struck out seven in six innings for the Highlanders, who close the regular season with a two-game series against El Camino Real next week.

Monroe 7, Chavez 1: The Vikings clinched the East Valley League title, their first league title since 1995. Felipe Gonzalez threw six scoreless innings.

Bell 11, Legacy 1: Jayden Rojas struck out six with no walks in five innings while giving up one hit. Armando Aguilar had two hits and two RBIs.

Garfield 11, South East 1: CJ Aguayo had a three-run triple and Victor Alvarez added three RBIs for Garfield.

Norco 7, Corona 2: Dylan Seward and Jacob Melendez hit home runs to help Norco clinch the Big VIII League championship. Melendez threw a complete game with five strikeouts and no walks.

Corona Santiago 7, Corona Centennial 6: Striker Pence homered for the Sharks. Jesse Mendoza had three hits for Centennial.

Villa Park 2, Cypress 0: Logan Hoppie threw the complete game with six strikeouts for Villa Park.

Oaks Christian 8, Calabasas 7: KJ Henrich broke a 7-7 tie with an RBI double in the seventh. Carson Sheffer hit his fourth home run and finished with three RBIs. Jack Brinkman had three hits. Auron Blackledge and Evan Barak homered for Calabasas.

Westlake 15, Newbury Park 6: Holden Backus had two hits and four RBIs for Westlake. Carson Richter hit a grand slam for Newbury Park.

Thousand Oaks 5, Agoura 4: The Lancers rallied from a 4-0 deficit. Jake Ange had a home run.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 2, Bishop Alemany 0: Holden Newhouse and JuJu Diaz-Jones combined for the shutout to help the Knights clinch a playoff spot from the Mission League.

Chaminade 9, Harvard-Westlake 5: Anthony Costa and Robby Morgan each had two hits and two RBIs and Isaiah Hearn hit a three-run home run to lead the Eagles. Louis Lappe went four for four to lead Harvard-Westlake.

Sierra Canyon 10, Loyola 0: Theo Swafford had a double and three-run home run for Sierra Canyon.

St. Francis 10, Crespi 6: Danny Izaguirre had two hits and four RBIs for St. Francis.

Temecula Valley 3, Vista Murrieta 2: Taden Krogsgaard had two hits for Temecula Valley.

JSerra 9, Santa Margarita 6: The Lions completed a three-game sweep of Santa Margarita. Blake Bowen hit a home run in all three games. Shane D’Arcy had three hits for JSerra.

St. John Bosco 6, Mater Dei 3: Jhett Ohira had two hits and two RBIs for the Braves. Sebastian Navarro homered for Mater Dei.

Orange Lutheran 3, Servite 1: Sam Principe threw a complete game, giving up three hits for Orange Lutheran.

Huntington Beach 8, Newport Harbor 1: Parker Leoff contributed two doubles for Huntington Beach.

West Ranch 10, Hart 2: Ty Diaz went three for three and Caydin Wilson had three RBIs as West Ranch earned a share of the Foothill League title.

Valencia 14, Golden Valley 1: Zach Davis had three hits and three RBIs for Valencia.

Redondo Union 10, Mira Costa 4: Keiji Hattori led the way with three hits for Redondo Union.

Softball

Granada Hills 16, Taft 2: Dahlia Perez had a grand slam during a 15-run second inning.

JSerra 3, Orange Lutheran 1: Liliana Escobar recorded 13 strikeouts and gave up three hits in the Trinity League win.

Norco 11, Corona Santiago 0: Peyton May struck out 13 and Sadie Burroughs hit a three-run home run for Norco.

We’ve reached one of the best days of the week. Work winds down, we get to go home, crack open a cold one and reach for the remote. Tonight, my TV will be locked on three different NBA games that will all be closeout games.

There are two Eastern Conference matchups and one Western Conference battle. It starts with the Pistons looking to force Game 7 in Detroit.

The Pistons won the most games in the Eastern Conference this season. While that is a fact, they haven’t really looked like a dominating team in the first round of the playoffs. That isn’t to say that Detroit has been terrible, but they do look like some of the flaws that didn’t hurt them playing a team once and moving on, have been exposed in a seven-game set.

They are down, but they aren’t out yet, and if they win tonight, they get to bring the series back to Detroit for a decisive Game 7.

I do feel like we need to take a moment to appreciate just how good Cade Cunningham has been in this series. He was drafted first overall in the 2021 draft, so it isn’t like anyone should be shocked that he is good at basketball.

His first year in the league was decent, probably about in line with a No. 1 pick. His second year was derailed by injury. In year three, there were still injuries, and the team was a disaster. Last year, he took a big leap and scored 26.1 points per game. His Pistons team was fearless against the Knicks. This year, he led them to 60 wins and has averaged 32.6 points per game in the playoffs.

This is not the first time that an eighth seed has a chance to upset the first seed.  The Magic are on the verge of adding their name to the list of teams to accomplish the feat. They only need to win one of the next two games in order to do it.

Technically, they will have had three chances to close out the series. The big issue with the Magic is that the team relies on everyone being available. It sounds obvious that if you lose one of your best players, like Franz Wagner, you’re going to struggle. But, the Magic are built around Wagern’s isolation, physicality and overall ability of Paolo Banchero, shooting from Desmond Bane and defense from Wendell Carter Jr. and Jalen Suggs.

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If you remove one of those players, the team certainly suffers. All teams would if you removed their second-best player, but Wagner being absent hurts quite a bit.

I expect him to be out in this game, and if he does go, I would be skeptical to see him play as much or with his normal level of production. He had 19 points in 24 minutes before he was done for the game in Game 4. The good news for Orlando is that this one is at home, so the role players may step up a bit.

In Game 5, the Pistons took advantage of Wagner’s absence. Banchero was great, putting up 45 points, but Cunningham matched that output and was more efficient. Jamal Cain, who looked amazing in Game 5, started for the Magic, but he played just 25 minutes. Anthony Black got almost 40 minutes and was decent in his role.

The Pistons still only beat the Magic by seven points in that game. Orlando outscored the Pistons in two of the four quarters, and outside a bad first quarter, the Magic looked like the better team.

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I’m a bit surprised the Pistons are favored. The Magic have looked good at home and haven’t lost yet. Both teams are filled with role players and a superstar. The problem is, role players aren’t good on the road. Give me the Magic to cover, and I will sprinkle the moneyline as I think they win on their home floor.

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