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Irish soccer federation votes to call for UEFA to suspend Israel from competition for alleged violations
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The governing body for soccer in Ireland voted Saturday to call for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel from competition.
It marks the third instance of a European soccer national governing body calling for Israel’s suspension from UEFA, joining Norway and Turkey. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has also called for Israel’s sports teams to be suspended from international competition.
The Football Association of Ireland passed the resolution, proposed by Irish club Bohemians, with more than 50% of its delegates supporting it.
The proposal cited two alleged violations of UEFA statutes by the Israel Football Association (IFA). The first is “organizing clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian FA” and the second is “the alleged failure of the IFA to enforce an effective anti-racism policy.”
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Israeli soccer fans wave flags as Israel warms up prior to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Europe zone Oct. 11, in Oslo, Norway. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
The Irish body also said in a statement it would “call on UEFA to publish transparent criteria for the suspension or exclusion of member associations to ensure equal treatment of all members.”.
Israel’s national team is scheduled to complete its World Cup-qualifying campaign with a match against Moldova Nov. 16. The team is third in its group and cannot finish first to qualify automatically for next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, or even second to get into the playoffs.
But growing global opposition against Israeli sports teams has put its athletes and fans in disadvantaged positions in 2025.
The UEFA was reportedly moving toward a vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza in September, but the motion was put on pause. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced no action would be taken against the team on Oct. 3, after a historic peace proposal by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, even after the peace proposal, Israeli sports teams have faced opposition and exclusion.
Israel’s national gymnastics team was denied visas to enter Indonesia for the World Gymnastics Championships in October.
The Indonesian government cited security and safety concerns for denying the visas, but an Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that the country’s security team gave clearance to its athletes.
“We received authorization from the Israeli Security Authorities to participate in the World Championship subject to the necessary security protocols in place. From our side, all preparations were complete — registration process, entry visas to Indonesia and Israeli Security Authorities confirmation,” the IGF said.
Israeli men’s gymnast Eyal Indig called Indonesia’s decision “a blatant incident of discrimination on the basis of nationality” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The Indonesian Embassy in the U.S. responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, saying, “The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia has no further comment to share on this matter.”
In England, fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from attending the team’s recent match against Aston Villa in the U.K. this week, also for safety concerns. Maccabi Tel Aviv FC supporters were reportedly the target of violence in Amsterdam before and during the soccer team’s match against Ajax last year.
However, unrest still broke out at the game on Thursday, with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity.
British police said six people were arrested Thursday ahead of the Israeli team’s match against Aston Villa in a Europa League match.
About 200 protesters gathered near a park near Aston Villa Park’s Trinity Road stand. These protesters included members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, per The Associated Press. Some pro-Israel protesters were also present.
Meanwhile, the Israeli cycling team, Israel-Premier Tech (IPT), lost its top sponsor despite honoring the sponsor’s request to remove the word “Israel” from the team name.
The Canadian company Premier Tech announced it would be ending its partnership with the team in a statement released Friday.
“After multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances, Premier Tech has decided to step down as co-title sponsor of the team taking effect immediately,” the statement said.
“Although we took notice of the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the core reason for Premier Tech to sponsor the team has been overshadowed to a point where it has become untenable for us to continue as a sponsor.”
In September, after agreeing to drop “Israel” from its name, the team said it “expects the team to evolve towards a new name excluding ‘Israel,’ leading to a new identity and branding.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to IPT for comment.
The team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, because of concerns over potentially disruptive pro-Palestine protests.
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Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta in the presence of Israel-Premier Tech.
Seven of the past 11 days of racing at the Vuelta were cut short or interrupted because Spain’s government estimated more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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