The Irish Football Federation will submit a motion to UEFA to ban Israel from competitions

The Irish Football Federation voted on Saturday to submit a motion to UEFA to ban Israel from competitions organized by the European governing body.

The motion – proposed by Irish club Bohemians – required the support of 50 percent of the federation’s delegates and was passed by a clear majority, according to a statement from the Football Association of Ireland.

It cited two alleged violations of UEFA statutes by the Israel Football Association. The first is ‘organizing clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian FA’ and the second is ‘the IFA’s alleged inability to enforce effective anti-racism policies’.

READ ALSO | Bundesliga: Bayern’s record run ends with Union draw

The UEFA Executive Committee will meet in New York on December 3.

Israel will conclude its World Cup qualifying campaign with a match against Moldova on November 16. The team is third in its group and cannot finish first to automatically qualify for next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, or even second to advance to the play-offs.

Plans by UEFA to vote on whether Israel should be excluded from European competition over the two-year conflict in Gaza were put on hold last month following a peace proposal from US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In its statement, the FAI also said it would “call on UEFA to publish transparent criteria for the suspension or expulsion of member associations to ensure equal treatment of all members.”

Published on November 8, 2025