Irish governing body overwhelmingly backs call for UEFA to ban Israel

Members of Irish soccer’s governing body voted overwhelmingly on Saturday for its board to request that UEFA immediately suspend Israel from European competitions, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said.

A resolution passed by the FAI members cited alleged violations by Israel’s Football Association of two provisions of UEFA statutes: its failure to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy and the playing by Israeli clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.

The resolution was backed by 74 votes, with seven opposed and two abstentions, the FAI said in a statement.

A spokesperson for UEFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UEFA considered holding a vote early last month on whether to suspend Israel from European competitions over the war in Gaza, a source told Reuters at the time. That did not happen after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10.

The Irish resolution follows calls in September from the heads of the Turkish and Norwegian soccer governing bodies for Israel to be suspended from international competition.

Those requests came after United Nations experts appealed to FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from international football, citing a U.N. Commission of Inquiry report that said Israel had committed genocide during the war in Gaza.

Israel has denied committing genocide and described the report as scandalous.