Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub’s yearlong ban and $20,000 fine will not be repealed after the International Court of Arbitration struck down his appeal.

In 2018, Rajoub called on fans to burn the shirts of Argentinean football players, singling out and targeting superstar Lionel Messi for a planned match against Israel in Jerusalem. After seeing images of Argentinean jerseys colored red with paint resembling blood, the Argentinean Football Association canceled the friendly match, citing safety concerns specifically for Messi.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport, the international appeal body for sports disputes, expressed in a statement that Rajoub had indeed violated the FIFA Disciplinary Code by “inciting hatred and violence” and found that the punishment was “not disproportionate”.

Rajoub urged fans to target Messi and incited them to burn shirts bearing his name.https://t.co/cBakSqNOAZ

— SBS - The World Game (@TheWorldGame) July 19, 2019

Rajoub denied wrongdoing and expressed his view that the decision was politically motivated and thus unjust, especially since Israel had filed the complaint as opposed to the Argentineans. All these arguments were unilaterally struck down by the CAS.

Rajoub is concurrently under investigation for ethics violations related to statements he has made glorifying terrorism and inciting hatred and violence. The previously reported letter to FIFA’s Ethics Committee described many alleged examples of Rajoub’s continuous incitement, including this episode. Since the letter has been leaked, no new developments have been made.

Jibril Rajoub, senior Fatah official, calls on Arabs and Muslims to stop all forms of sport normalization with Israel. (Rajoub is also head of the Palestinian Council for Youth and Sport) pic.twitter.com/jXeL2m2a1J

— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) April 29, 2019