The European Union of Football Associations (UEFA) is expected to make a decisive decision next week on whether to exclude Israel from the tournaments or allow it to participate. According to The Times, the majority of the executive committee members are viewed as supporters of sanctions.
According to the publication, "highly serious discussions" were held this week at UEFA about how to react to Israel's actions. Those demanding disqualification cite the experience applied to Russian clubs and national teams after the start of the 2022 war in Ukraine as an example.
At the same time, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported that the issue of excluding Israel from UEFA tournaments was removed from the agenda due to diplomatic pressure, the efforts of sports leaders, and even "American officials."
Earlier, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albaneze, appealed to UEFA with a demand to exclude Israel from all competitions. At the same time, according to The New York Times, the US intends to "completely stop" attempts to exclude the Israeli national team from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Currently, the Israel national team is in third place in Group I of the qualifiers. The team scored the same number as Italy - 9 points each. Norway leads with 15 points. The group winner will go directly to the World Cup, and the runner-up will take part in the next stage.
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