Palestine: AFC and FIFA reject the relocation of home matches to Algeria

"The AFC and FIFA have not given a favorable response regarding the Palestinian national team's home matches being hosted in Algeria," announced the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) on 19/10/2023.

"The Asian Football Confederation and FIFA have required the Palestinian national team's matches to be played in its zone, i.e. the Asian continent, in accordance with the applicable regulations," added the FAF, which itself is part of the African Confederation (CAF).

The Algerian Federation, "in compliance with the directives of the country's high authorities and following the request made by the president of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, had decided to host all the official and unofficial matches in Algeria as part of the preparation of the Palestinian football team for the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup, and to cover all the costs associated with these events," on 15/10/2023.

The decision by the AFC and FIFA comes 12 days after the terrorist attack carried out by the Hamas movement in Israel, which left more than 1,400 people dead on the…