Football Association of Ireland Passes Motion Seeking European Football Ban on Israeli Teams
The Football Association of Ireland has given the green light to present a formal motion to Uefa, calling for the exclusion of Israeli football from continental club and international competitions.
Basis of the Recommended Ban
This motion, which was proposed by Dublin club Bohemians, cited claimed breaches by the Israel Football Association of two key Uefa statutes.
- Failure to implement and enforce an proper anti-racism policy.
- Organisation of football teams in occupied Palestinian territories lacking the consent of the Palestrian FA.
Vote Outcome and Next Steps
As stated in an announcement from the Irish FA, the proposal was backed by 74 votes, with 7 against and two abstentions.
The association plans to officially present this request to the Uefa executive committee, asking for the immediate suspension of the IFA from European tournaments.
During a special assembly of the FAI, an standard motion was posed to members. It passed by a majority.
Previous European Considerations
Uefa had previously put on hold intentions to ban Israel at the close of last month, following the announcement of Donald Trump's proposed peace plan for the area.
Although they never officially confirmed considering an special session on the issue, preparations were believed to be well developed.
International Context
The FAI resolution follows comparable calls in September from the heads of Turkish and Norwegian governing bodies for banning Israel from global football.
Those requests were made after United Nations experts urged world and European football bodies to suspend the Israeli FA, citing a UN investigation that accused the country of committing genocide during the war in Gaza.
Israel has denied these allegations and described the findings as outrageous.
Potential Consequences
If Uefa choose to ban Israel, it would probably strain relations with the United States government – joint hosts for the upcoming World Cup – which is firmly against such an measure.
Even though Uefa has the power to suspend Israeli teams from European competitions, it may not be able to stop them from taking part in World Cup qualifiers, which falls under world football's governing body.
