🔗 Share this article

Ireland's football governing body has given the green light to present a formal motion to European football's governing body, calling for the exclusion of Israeli football from all European team and national competitions.

Grounds for the Proposed Suspension

The resolution, that had been put forward by Dublin club Bohemians, cited alleged breaches by the IFA of a couple of key European football regulations.

• Failure to apply and uphold an effective policy against racism.
• Establishment of clubs in disputed territories lacking the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.

Vote Outcome and Next Steps

According to an announcement from the FAI, the resolution was backed by 74 votes, with seven against and 2 abstentions.

They plans to formally submit this request to the Uefa executive committee, asking for the immediate suspension of the IFA from Uefa competitions.

In an extraordinary general meeting of the FAI, an ordinary resolution was posed to members. It was approved by a majority.

Earlier European Deliberations

Uefa had previously paused intentions to ban Israel at the close of last month, following the revealing of a US peace proposal for the area.

While Uefa never publicly stated considering an special session on the issue, preparations were believed to be well developed.

Global Backdrop

The FAI move comes after comparable calls in September from the heads of both Turkey and Norway's governing bodies for banning Israel from international competition.

These appeals were made after United Nations experts urged world and European football bodies to suspend Israel, citing a UN commission of inquiry report that accused the country of acts of genocide during the Gaza conflict.

Israel has denied these claims and labeled the report as outrageous.

Potential Consequences

If Uefa decide to ban the IFA, it would likely strain relations with the US administration – joint hosts for the upcoming World Cup – which is firmly against such an measure.

Although Uefa has the power to exclude Israeli teams from European competitions, it may not be able to prevent them from taking part in qualification for the World Cup, which is governed by world football's governing body.