Israel will not be hosting UEFA-sanctioned soccer matches any time soon
Israel will not host any UEFA-sanctioned soccer matches at present, the Union of European Football Associations announced Thursday.
Per The Associated Press, UEFA — the governing body of soccer in Europe — conducted a “thorough evaluation of the current safety and security situation in the whole territory of Israel,” and determined that the country was not suited to host any soccer matches for the time being.
The ruling directly affects Israel-based teams Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which are currently competing in the Europa League and Europa Conference League, respectively.
(UEFA manages both of those competitions, as well as the Champions League, Women’s Champions League and Euro 2024 (European Championship); UEFA also serves as an “umbrella organization for 55 national associations.”)
Maccabi Haifa was supposed to play at Villarreal on Oct. 26, while Maccabi Tel Aviv was going to play host to Zorya Luhansk on the same day, but those contests have been rescheduled for Dec. 6 and Nov. 25, respectively.
Additionally, UEFA told the Israeli Football Association that it and “its clubs Maccabi Haifa FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv have been requested to propose alternative venues/stadiums (which must comply with all applicable UEFA regulations) outside the territory of Israel for their home matches to be used for as long as this decision remains in force.”
Per ESPN, earlier this month UEFA postponed all matches scheduled to take place in Israel — in a two-week window — following Hamas’ attack.
Included in those matches was the Israeli national team’s Euro 2024 qualifying contest against Switzerland. That game was to be played at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.
UEFA postponed Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifying game against Kosovo as well, “because the Israeli authorities currently do not allow their national team to travel abroad,” per AP.
The current ban on Israel hosting UEFA-sanctioned matches is indefinite.
