WEST BANK: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - UEFA President Michel Platini meets Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and tours Church of Nativity

Record ID: 562467

  • Title: WEST BANK: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - UEFA President Michel Platini meets Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and tours Church of Nativity
  • Date: 8th October 2009
  • Summary: PRIEST TALKING TO PLATINI ABOUT CHURCH PRIEST TELLING PLATINI ABOUT MOSAIC TILES ON THE FLOOR OF THE CHURCH VARIOUS OF PLATINI IN CHURCH PLATINI LIGHTING A CANDLE PLATINI LEAVING A CHURCH MANGER SQUARE AND CHURCH OF NATIVITY
  • Embargoed: 23rd October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADLT43JP6QXEOHOMAPF1ZLXT4N
  • Story Text: UEFA president Michel Platini visits West Bank where he meets Palestinian youth soccer team and receives a high medal from Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
    UEFA President Michel Platini on Wednesday (October 7) met with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
    Platini has been visiting the region ahead of next March's UEFA Congress, which is due to be held in Tel Aviv, Israel.
    Before arriving in Ramallah, Platini visited a Palestinian stadium in al-Ram, just outside Ramallah, where he met a Palestinian youth soccer team.
    Afterwards, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad greeted Platini at his headquarters and presented him with a "high award" from the Palestinian Authority.
    "Well ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Palestinian Authority I am privileged to welcome here in Rammallah our great guest, Michel Platini, whom all of you know from all the contributions, most valuable contributions, he made throughout his career both professionally when he was playing football himself, and also in his current capacity both as the head of UEFA, the European Federation, and also the vice president of the FIFA," Fayyad told reporters.
    Platini accepted the award and recalled his efforts to support the Palestinian national football team.
    "Thanks to the President, thank you the Prime Minister for this decoration it is a pleasure to receive the high medal from Palestine that I think it was a great honour and great privilege to organise again, 17 years ago in Jericho for the first game of the Palestine National Team, it was not recognised by all the authorities, but it was organised by a small group of French players where we come to play," Platini said.
    Earlier on Wednesday, Platini toured the Church of Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, revered as Jesus's birth town.
    In a news conference held in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Tuesday (October 6), Platini, one of the greatest players of all time and who led France to victory in the 1984 European Championship, told Israeli President Shimon Peres UEFA would continue to support football as a means for coexistence for youth in the region.
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