Israel FA Chair Ofer Eini and CEO Rotem Kamer "will head to Switzerland on Monday to meet with UEFA President Michel Platini," according to David Ben Shimol of YNETNEWS. Eini and Kamer's departure "comes after FIFA decided to accept the Palestinians' request to discuss the option of suspending Israel" from the int'l football organization during a FIFA congress set to be held on May 29. Attorney Efraim Barak "will also join Eini and Kamer on their trip to Switzerland -- Barak is the Israeli Football Association's legal advisor." Next week, Eini and Kamer will set out to meet FIFA President Sepp Blatter, "in order to examine ways to prevent the FIFA congress from voting on suspending Israel from the league or find a way to secure enough votes to delay the Palestinian request." Eini said, "Instead using soccer to bridge between Israel and the PA, which could contribute to rapprochement between the nations, the Palestinian union is requesting to operate by way of boycotts and sanctions, which will only exacerbate the situation." The Palestinian Union "has previously requested that FIFA suspend Israel from any activity related to the organization after it claimed that the IDF and Israel did not allow the entrance of athletes from Arab nations to enter the Palestinian Authority" (YNETNEWS, 4/19).
