NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Irish football’s governing body voted on Saturday to ask the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel from the competition.
This is the third instance of a European football national governing body calling for Israel’s suspension from UEFA, joining Norway and Turkey. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also called for the Israeli team to be suspended from international competition.
The Football Association of Ireland adopted the resolution proposed by Irish club Bohemians, with the support of more than 50% of its delegates.
The proposal cited two alleged violations of UEFA statutes by the Israel Football Federation (IFA). The first concerns “the organization of clubs in the occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian Federation” and the second is “the alleged inability of the IFA to implement an effective anti-racist policy”.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Israeli soccer fans wave flags as Israel warms up ahead of the Europe zone of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers October 11 in Oslo, Norway. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
The Irish body also said it would “call on UEFA to publish transparent criteria for the suspension or exclusion of member associations to ensure equal treatment of all members”, in a statement.
The Israel national team is set to finish its World Cup qualifying campaign with a match against Moldova on November 16. The team is third in its group and cannot finish first to automatically qualify for next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, or even second to advance to the playoffs.
But growing global opposition to Israeli sports teams has placed its athletes and fans at a disadvantage in 2025.
UEFA was reportedly heading towards a vote to suspend Israel over the Gaza war in September, but the motion was paused. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that no action would be taken against the team on October 3, following a historic peace proposal from President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, even after the peace proposal, Israeli sports teams faced opposition and exclusion.
FREED HOSTAGE DELAMES ISRAELI FANS WHO ARE BANNED FROM UK SOCCER MATCH DUE TO CONCERNS OF PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS
The Israeli national gymnastics team was denied a visa to enter Indonesia for the World Gymnastics Championships in October.
The Indonesian government cited security concerns as the reason for denying the visas, but a spokesperson for the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) confirmed to PK Press Club Digital that the country’s security team had given clearance to its athletes.
“We received permission from Israeli security authorities to participate in the World Championship subject to the necessary security protocols in place. From our side, all preparations were completed: registration process, entry visas to Indonesia and confirmation from Israeli security authorities,” the IGF said.
Israeli gymnast Eyal Indig called the Indonesian decision “a blatant incident of discrimination based on nationality” in an interview with PK Press Club Digital.
The Indonesian Embassy in the United States responded to PK Press Club Digital’s request for comment by stating: “The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia has no further comments to share on this matter. »
In England, fans of Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from attending the team’s recent match against Aston Villa in the United Kingdom this week, also for security reasons. Maccabi Tel Aviv FC fans were reportedly targets of violence in Amsterdam before and during the soccer team’s match against Ajax last year.
However, unrest still erupted during Thursday’s match, with anti-Israel protesters nearby.
British police announced that six people were arrested on Thursday before the Israeli team’s match against Aston Villa in the Europa League.
Around 200 protesters gathered near a park near Aston Villa Park’s Trinity Road stand. These protesters included members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, according to The Associated Press. Pro-Israeli demonstrators were also present.
Meanwhile, Israeli cycling team Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) lost its main sponsor despite honoring the sponsor’s request to remove the word “Israel” from the team’s name.
Canadian company Premier Tech announced it would end its partnership with the team in a statement released Friday.
“After multiple discussions with the team and careful evaluation of all relevant circumstances, Premier Tech has decided to step down from its role as co-title sponsor of the team effective immediately,” the statement said.
“While we have noted the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the primary reason Premier Tech sponsored the team has been eclipsed to the point where it has become untenable for us to continue as a sponsor.
In September, after agreeing to drop “Israel” from its name, the team said it “expects the team to move toward a new name excluding “Israel,” leading to a new identity and branding.”
PK Press Club Digital has contacted IPT for comment.
The team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, due to concerns about potentially disruptive pro-Palestinian protests.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta in the presence of Israel-Premier Tech.
Seven of the last 11 days of Vuelta racing were shortened or halted because the Spanish government estimated that more than 100,000 people were on the streets of Madrid during the final stage in September.
