Sepp Blatter Expresses Concern Over Detained Palestine Players

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has "expressed grave concern" over reports that several Palestine players have been illegally detained in Israel, according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. Blatter wrote the Israel Football Association to ask it "to draw Israeli authorities to the matter." FIFA said in a statement, "The reports FIFA received state that, in apparent violation of their integrity and human rights and without the apparent right of a trial, several Palestine football players have allegedly been illegally detained by Israeli authorities. In particular, the mentioned reports refer to the Palestine player Mahmoud Sarsak, whose health is in a very delicate state due to the fact that he has been undergoing a hunger strike for approximately 90 days in protest of his alleged illegal detention" (REUTERS, 6/12).