FIFA delegation arrives in Gaza after Israeli 'obstacles'

A delegation from football governing body FIFA arrived in the Gaza Strip on Monday after being blocked by Israeli authorities for hours, a Palestinian football official has said.

“The FIFA delegation arrived through the Erez crossing despite obstacles by the Israeli authorities, which blocked them for three hours,” deputy head of the Palestinian Football Association, Ibrahim Abu Selim, told The Anadolu Agency.

The delegation, led by FIFA’s senior development manager for Asia, David Borja, is visiting the Gaza Strip to inspect stadiums that FIFA helped re-grass at a total cost of $1 million.

During Israel’s recent onslaught on the Gaza Strip, at least 30 sports facilities were totally destroyed, with the Palestinian government reporting $3 million in losses.

By the time the offensive ended on August 26, more than 2,160 Gazans had been killed, mostly civilians, including 32 athletes, according to figures released by the Palestinian government.