Football Association of Ireland Passes Resolution Calling for Uefa Ban on Israeli Teams

Ireland's football governing body has given the green light to submit a formal motion to Uefa, demanding the banning of Israel from all European club and international tournaments.

Grounds for the Recommended Ban

This motion, which was proposed by Irish side Bohemians, highlighted claimed breaches by the Israel Football Association of two key European football regulations.

• Inability to apply and uphold an proper anti-racism policy.
• Organisation of clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.

Vote Outcome and Next Steps

As stated in an official statement from the Irish FA, the resolution was supported by 74 votes, with 7 opposed and 2 not voting.

The association plans to formally submit this request to the Uefa executive committee, seeking the immediate suspension of the IFA from European tournaments.

During a special assembly of the Football Association of Ireland, an ordinary resolution was posed to delegates. It was approved by a large margin.

Previous Uefa Considerations

The European body had previously put on hold plans to exclude Israeli football at the close of last month, following the announcement of a US peace proposal for the region.

Although Uefa never officially confirmed contemplating an special session on the issue, preparations were understood to be quite advanced.

Global Context

This Irish move follows comparable calls in September from the leaders of both Turkey and Norway's football associations for Israel's suspension from global football.

Those requests were issued after UN specialists urged world and European football bodies to ban the Israeli FA, citing a UN investigation that claimed Israel of acts of genocide during the Gaza conflict.

Israel has denied these allegations and labeled the findings as outrageous.

Possible Consequences

Should European football's authority choose to suspend Israel, it would probably create tension with the US administration – joint hosts for the 2026 World Cup – which strongly opposes such an measure.

Although Uefa has the power to suspend Israeli teams from its tournaments, it might not be able to prevent them from taking part in qualification for the World Cup, which is governed by Fifa.