AhlulBayt News Agency: U.S. President Donald Trump announced that FIFA will play a key role in raising $75 million for football‑related reconstruction projects in Gaza, speaking during the first meeting of his so‑called “Board of Peace.”
Trump said the funds would help build football fields and support projects involving major global stars, addressing FIFA President Gianni Infantino directly and promising more details soon.
Later that day, FIFA released a statement outlining plans to establish a football academy, a 20,000‑seat national stadium, and dozens of pitches across Gaza. The statement did not confirm Trump’s $75 million figure, noting instead that funding would come from international partners.
Infantino—who has maintained close ties with Trump and previously awarded him FIFA’s inaugural “Peace Prize”—attended the event wearing a red “USA 45‑47” cap. He described the initiative as a landmark partnership aimed at supporting post‑conflict recovery through football.
The “Board of Peace” was created after the October 2025 ceasefire between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza, though Israeli forces have repeatedly violated the agreement, killing at least 611 Palestinians since it took effect.
The war severely damaged Gaza’s football sector, with widespread destruction of facilities and heavy targeting of athletes.
By February 2026, reports indicated that more than 1,007 Palestinian athletes had been killed, including around 421 footballers. Among them was Suleiman al‑Obeid, a legendary national team captain known as the “Palestinian Pele.”
Approximately 90% of Gaza’s sports infrastructure has been destroyed, including the PFA headquarters and at least 265 sports facilities. Stadiums such as Yarmouk and Khan Younis were turned into detention centers or shelters for displaced families, and some fields became mass graves.
Domestic football in Gaza and the West Bank largely came to a halt after October 7, 2023, leading the PFA to annul the 2023–2024 season.
Despite the devastation, the Palestinian national team continued competing internationally, reaching the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the first time, though forced to play home matches in neutral venues.
Meanwhile, FIFA under Infantino has resisted global calls to suspend the Israeli football team.
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