Israel’s national football teams and clubs could face suspension from UEFA competitions as early as next week, the PA news agency understands.
According to The Times, UEFA is preparing for an extraordinary executive committee meeting to discuss whether Israel should be banned, though a final date has not yet been confirmed.
Israel, a full member of UEFA since 1994, is currently third in its World Cup qualifying group and has one club competing in European tournaments. But growing international criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks inside Israel, has intensified calls for sanctions.
Sources suggest that there is rising support among UEFA member associations to take action against Israel.
Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association, who has long campaigned for Israel’s suspension, confirmed he will meet UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin next week, alongside International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry.
“I believe that Israelis should not be allowed to participate in any matches, whether they are UEFA or FIFA-regulated,” Rajoub told Norway’s TV2.
“Israel have violated principles, values and FIFA’s statutes. Therefore, I believe that Israel should be sanctioned. I hope UEFA will follow the spirit of the statutes.
“It is their responsibility to protect their own laws and statutes. It is double standards from the president of FIFA to shut Russia out within a few hours [of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022], while Israel are allowed to continue to violate and commit crimes against the Palestinian football family.”
The Trump administration has already signalled that it would move to block any attempt to exclude Israel from next year’s World Cup.
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