Support for the suspension of Israel’s membership of UEFA is growing. A United Nations Commission announced last week that Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7th 2023.
One of the main campaigns in support of the potential suspension is the “Show Israel the Red Card” initiative which has increased in popularity in the last six months, especially after the murder of Suleiman Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’, by Israeli soldiers while he waited for humanitarian aid. With the onset of the war in Ukraine in 2022, UEFA immediately suspended Russia’s involvement in international football, and Russia teams were banned from competing in UEFA competitions. Many football fans find the double-standards held to Israel as they commit genocide against Palestinians to be troubling.
It was reported that Qatar, who provides a large amount of funding to UEFA, is the driving force pushing UEFA to hold a vote. Israel bombed a residential neighbourhood in Doha, Qatar, on September 9th in an attempt to kill “senior Hamas leadership”.
UEFA was set to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday, 23 September, to vote on a possible suspension of Israel, reportedly the United States, who are not a member of UEFA, pressured UEFA to spare Israel from immediate suspension.
Last Thursday, September 18th, it was reported that Spain’s national team was threatening to boycott the 2026 World Cup if Israel qualified. On the same day, Irish team Bohemians FC, along with FairSquare and Irish Sport for Palestine released a statement calling on UEFA to suspend Israel. The statement set out two UEFA statutes that Israel were accused of breaching:
“The organisations’ submission sets out two independent and longstanding grounds, each sufficient on its own to trigger suspension:
- Matches in illegal settlements (FIFA Statutes): FIFA’s statutes prohibit member associations and their clubs from playing on the territory of another member association without that association’s approval. Israeli clubs based in illegal West Bank settlements continue to play under the IFA within the territory of the Palestinian Football Association, without the PFA’s consent and thus contrary to this rule. UEFA, as a confederation, is obliged to comply with and enforce FIFA statutes and decisions.
- Racism and discriminatory conduct (UEFA obligations): UEFA’s statutes require each member association to “implement an effective policy aimed at eradicating racism and any other forms of discrimination from football” and to ensure strict sanctions for such behaviour. Evidence of persistent anti-Palestinian racist chanting and incitement by organised supporter groups demonstrates a failure by the IFA to implement and enforce such a policy. Related UEFA disciplinary and licensing rules reinforce this obligation.”
In a Times of Israel article on Sunday, Schlomi Barzel, head of communication for the Israeli FA said, “I’m surprised we’re still part of international tournaments. In many aspects, this is a miracle, […] historically, countries have been suspended for much less.”
UEFA drew criticism from the Israeli regime in August when a banner reading “Stop killing children” was placed on the pitch before the Supercup final between Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain. Nine children sat behind the banner, all refugees from areas of conflict, including Gaza, Ukraine, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
A suspension would mean that Israel will be removed from their UEFA World Cup Qualifying group, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, who were set to compete in the Europa League this season, will also be removed from the competition.
At time of writing, Maccabi Tel-Aviv are set to play PAOK in their first matchday of the Europa League today, 24 September. It remains unclear whether UEFA will bring forward a vote in the following weeks.
Who are Maccabi Tel-Aviv?
Maccabi Tel-Aviv fans were in the news in November 2024 after they faced Ajax in Amsterdam during their 2024-25 Europa League campaign. Their fans were filmed chanting inflammatory slogans, for example, “Death to Arabs”, and damaging residential buildings and removing Palestinian flags. It was reported that an Arab taxi driver in the city of Amsterdam was attacked by Maccabi fans the evening before the match, 6 November.
During the match on 7 November, there was a minute of silence for victims of the 2024 Spanish floods, during which Maccabi fans whistled and chanted anti-Palestinian slogans. After the game, many Maccabi fans were attacked and viral videos surfaced online throughout the night. The Amsterdam Police reported that the attackers made a distinction between Jewish Amsterdam residents and Maccabi fans, with no attacks on the former or on any Jewish synagogues during the riots.
The Israeli government sent military planes to “rescue” the Maccabi fans and take them home that night.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv fans had reportedly gravely wounded a Palestinian-Greek man who was carrying a Palestinian flag in Greece during their fixture against Olympiacos. He was hospitalised.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv are set to play against Aston Villa in Birmingham on 6 November 2025, there is already a petition put forward to cancel the match or play it in a neutral venue. Birmingham is known as a city with a large Muslim population and tensions could reach even higher levels than Amsterdam.
Israel’s participation in European competitions is not just about sport, but about soft power. Allowing Israel to participate in international competitions, regardless of the competition, e.g. Eurovision, brings legitimacy and credibility to their actions in Gaza. By allowing Israel to compete during their genocide, UEFA is essentially pushing pro-Israel propaganda.
