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FIFA to consider vote on suspending Israel at Palestine's request

GENEVA -- A move to consider suspending Israel from world football will be put to FIFA's 209 member federations just before they elect their president this month.

FIFA published an agenda Monday for its election congress on May 29, including a late proposal by Palestinian football officials to suspend Israel.

It is unlikely to succeed after FIFA president Sepp Blatter said last month he opposed the move, which needs three-quarters of votes to pass if a ballot is allowed.

Palestinian officials insist Israel's football federation should be punished for restrictions imposed by security forces which limit movement of players, opposing teams and equipment.

Earlier in the meeting in Zurich, Blatter -- who met several times in recent weeks with Palestinian football leader Jibril Rajoub -- is scheduled to update on his mediation between the two federations. Talks began in 2013.

Blatter said ahead of meeting Rajoub in Cairo last month that suspending a member "is always something which harms the whole organization."

FIFA suspensions prevent a member's national and club teams taking part in international matches and meetings, and block FIFA funding.

The FIFA election is the final main item of business on the annual congress agenda.

Blatter is strongly favoured to win and extend his 17-year presidential reign at the age of 79.

In a note to the agenda, Blatter wrote "there is always much work to do in maintaining and further raising the level of the game: the ball never stops rolling and there is always new ground to cover."

"I am looking forward to meeting these future challenges," the Swiss official wrote.

The other candidates, all supported by European governing body UEFA, are FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, Netherlands federation head Michael van Praag and Luis Figo, the former Portugal, Barcelona and Real Madrid playmaker.

FIFA election rules allow each candidate to "speak for 15 minutes to present their program to the congress."

Other congress business includes approving the 2014 financial report. FIFA made a $140.7 million surplus last year and added $91 million to its reserves, which now stand at $1.523 billion.

FIFA member federations each got $1.05 million in bonus payments from better than expected financial results tied to the 2014 World Cup.

They will also elect replacement officials for FIFA judicial bodies.

After former United States federal prosecutor Michael Garcia resigned in protest last December as head of FIFA ethics investigations, his Swiss deputy Cornel Borbely should formally be elected into a position he has held on an interim basis.

FIFA also proposes extending the co-opted terms of two women members of the Blatter-led executive committee. Moya Dodd of Australia and Sonia Bien-Aime of Turks and Caicos Islands have been given yearly mandates since 2013.