FAI to bring motion to ban Israel from Euro competition

The FAI has voted to submit a motion to UEFA to ban Israel from its European club and international competitions.

The vote - proposed by Bohemians - was put to the FAI's General Assembly at an EGM this afternoon, which was held directly before the AGM in Blanchardstown in Dublin.

The proposal for the vote cited two alleged violations of UEFA statutes by the Israel Football Association (IFA): organising clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian FA; and the alleged failure of the IFA to enforce an effective anti-racism policy.

The motion required support from 50% of FAI delegates to pass. It passed by a majority, with 74 votes in favour, seven against and two abstentions.

The General Assembly consists of three chambers: professional football, amateur and youth football and a national bodies group which represents schoolboys' and schoolgirls' football.

At the end of September, UEFA delayed a planned emergency vote on whether to suspend Israel from European competition over the war in Gaza, after US President Donald Trump unveiled his peace plan for the region.

In a statement the FAI said: "In an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Football Association of Ireland, an Ordinary Resolution was posed to members of the FAI General Assembly. It passed by a majority - 74 in favour, 7 against, 2 abstained.

"The Ordinary Resolution posed that the Board of Directors of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is hereby instructed to and shall, without delay:

i. Submit a formal motion (the "Motion") to the UEFA Executive Committee requesting the immediate suspension of the Israel Football Association (IFA) from UEFA competitions due to its violating two independent provisions of the UEFA Statutes, namely:

1. The organisation of clubs in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association, in breach of FIFA Statutes (Article 73) and UEFA Statutes (Article 5);

2. The failure of the IFA to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy, in breach of UEFA Statutes (Article 7bis) and related disciplinary regulations (together, the "Violations").

ii. Call on UEFA to publish transparent criteria for the suspension or exclusion of member associations to ensure equal treatment of all members."

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