UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), a sports representative of Europe, has a majority of its Member States in favor of banishing the Israeli European competition soccer team, according to the British newspaper The Times.
The decision comes after reiterated international pressure and accusations of genocide in the Gaza Strip, who, last Tuesday (23), gained public support from UN rapporteurs, who claim that “national teams from countries that commit massive violations can and should be suspended.”
To support the arguments in favor of banishment, the Israeli case has been compared to Russia – banned from UEFA and FIFA competitions after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
However, Israel sees this campaign as another case of dangerous politicization in sport, fueled by international hostility, pressure campaigns also paved by the Palestinian Football Association.
The Palestinian sports entity has repeatedly demanded the suspension of Israel, more recently after the death of Palestinian player Suleiman al -obeid, nicknamed “Pelé Palestinian”, in an air strike in August in August of that year.
To the newspaper Jerusalem Postthe Ministry of Culture and Sport, led by Miki Zohar, confirmed that it has been working in recent weeks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the president of the Israeli Football Association, Shino Zoertz, to avoid banishment, which could prevent Israel from playing the next World Cup next year
“The correct step at this stage is to act responsibly with the professional bodies and not issue public statements, and this is how all parties involved in the efforts are proceeding,” said the portforteet of the folder, pointing out that more comments will be provided over time.
Still according to the Israeli newspaper, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is strongly pressure to bring the issue to vote before expected. Normally, the UEFA Executive Committee meets every few months in person, but in this case there is the possibility of an emergency session – possibly even an online vote – to vote the issue involving Israel.
The US government, led by President Donald Trump, adds to the Israeli authorities to prevent the possible ban from being fulfilled. To the The Athletic e to Sky Newsthe State Department stated that “we will work hard to prevent any attempt to ban the Israeli World Cup football team.”
Any decision that culminates in the sports suspension of the Israeli team could still be appealed to the Arbitral Tribunal of Sport (TAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
A UEFA suspension would not be restricted only to the Israeli team but to the country’s soccer clubs, which would be excluded from competitions such as the Champions League, the Europa League and the international qualifiers.
Israel is a member of the European sports entity because he was expelled from the Asian Federation in the 1970s after similar boycott.
