UEFA and FIFA not considering Israel expulsion from international competitions | OneFootball

Israel has been the subject of a number of boycotts over the last two years following the invasion of the Gaza strip, which has resulted in the massacre of thousands of civilians. However they will not yet face action from football’s governing bodies.

Within a matter of months, Russia found themselves expelled from European competitions at club and international level by UEFA, and they no longer appear in FIFA competitions either, following a blanket ban first instituted by the Olympic Committee. This was a reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a conflict which is still ongoing. There has been some suggestion of late that UEFA and FIFA could take similar action against Israel this season, with protests against Israel involvement in sport on the rise.

UEFA have mentioned Federation petitions

The biggest immediate impact would be the theoretical ban of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, who are currently competing in the Europa League. The suggestion was that the rest of the teams would receive the average of results obtained against Maccabi during the games they have already played, and their clashes would be cancelled. In the Nations League, Israel are in a group with Belgium, France and Italy.

However Marca report that UEFA have not held an emergency meeting of the executive committee to discuss a ban on Israeli football in European competition. While the petitions for said action have been mentioned, the matter has not gone further than that.

Infantino-Trump relations stand Israel in good stead with FIFA

Meanwhile FIFA have not discussed any action against Israel either, as they seek to qualify for the World Cup. The Madrid-based daily explain that a potential ban for Israel does not figure in the agenda of their next meeting, and it is pointedly noted that the close relations between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump could well play a role in their stance.

The USA support Israel in their military action, and Infantino, who has been keen to cosy up to Trump ahead of the 2026 World Cup held in the United States alongside Canada and Mexico, is unlikely to want to put Trump’s nose out of joint. FIFA have set up their World Cup headquarters in Trump Towers in New York, further evidence of their relationship.