Ireland has once again taken a strong stance against Israel, calling on UEFA to impose a ban on Israeli football amid ongoing controversy and regional unrest. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has formally decided to urge the European football governing body to act, citing repeated violations of UEFA regulations.
FAI Votes to Push for Israel Ban
During a key meeting held on Saturday, members of the FAI accused the Israel Football Association (IFA) of breaching two major UEFA rules — failing to enforce an effective anti-racism policy and hosting football matches in Palestinian territories without proper authorization from the Palestinian Football Association.
In a decisive vote involving Irish Premier Division club Bohemian FC, 74 members voted in favor of the motion, while only 7 opposed it. Two others were absent from the session.
An FAI spokesperson stated,
“𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 — 𝒘𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝑰𝒔𝒓𝒂𝒆𝒍’𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝑬𝑭𝑨’𝒔 𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”
The result of the vote means Ireland will officially resubmit a proposal to UEFA to ban the Israeli Football Association. However, UEFA has yet to release a formal response, with a spokesperson declining to comment when contacted by Reuters.
UEFA’s Earlier Delay and Growing International Pressure
UEFA had been considering a referendum on the suspension of Israeli football last month, but halted the process after Israel agreed to a short-term ceasefire with Palestine on October 10. Nevertheless, Ireland’s renewed effort reflects growing international frustration.
In recent months, football associations from Turkey and Norway have also called on UEFA to exclude Israel from European tournaments. Even the United Nations has urged both FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel following its investigation into alleged atrocities in Gaza — a report Israel dismissed as “defamatory.”
The FAI’s latest proposal is expected to be presented at UEFA’s December 3 meeting. Israel, meanwhile, continues to compete in UEFA World Cup qualifiers, currently ranked third in their group. Their upcoming fixture is against Moldova on November 16, a crucial match for their 2026 World Cup hopes.
Political Factors and FIFA’s Stance
Speculation has emerged that FIFA might avoid taking action against Israel due to political sensitivities. Reports suggest that FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s close ties with former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration was a strong ally of Israel, could influence the organization’s position.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒖𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑭𝑨𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓. “𝑰𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔, 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇.”
Recently, FIFA fined Italy and Norway for fan protests during matches against Israel — penalties viewed by many as a sign of the governing body’s reluctance to confront deeper political issues.
Ireland’s push represents another step in the ongoing international debate over the role of politics in global football — a discussion that continues to grow louder with each match played under the shadow of conflict.
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