European soccer body UEFA moves toward vote to suspend Israel

7 hours ago 1

European soccer body UEFA is moving toward a vote to suspend its member federation Israel over the war in Gaza, people familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Majority expected to support suspension of Israeli teams from international play

Graham Dunbar · The Associated Press

· Posted: Sep 25, 2025 9:06 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Soccer fans call for boycott of Israel from international games

Soccer fans are demanding the sport’s governing bodies — FIFA and UEFA — suspend Israeli national teams and clubs from participating in international games in response to its attacks on Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.

European soccer body UEFA is moving toward a vote to suspend its member federation Israel over the war in Gaza, people familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

A majority of UEFA's 20-member executive committee is expected to support any vote in favour of suspending Israeli teams from international play, two sources told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

The move comes two weeks before the Israel men's team is due to resume its 2026 World Cup qualifying group with games in Norway and Italy.

Corrections

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated how many Palestinian athletes and scouts had been killed in post-Oct. 7 attacks, according to the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
Mar 19, 2025 3:56 PM EDT

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