UEFA Will Vote To Expelled Israel From War In Gaza

UEFA will vote on the expulsion of Israel, both clubs and national teams, from the European tournament (Instagram/@uefa).

JAKARTA - The European Football Confederation, UEFA, is moving towards a vote to suspend its member's federation of Israel's war-related Gaza.

The news was reported by The Associated Press referring to the voting proposal from a source on Thursday, September 25, 2025, local time.

According to two sources who do not wish to be named, the Associated Press said because of the sensitivity of the topic that the majority of the 20-member UEFA Executive Committee is expected to support any voting that supports the Israeli team's suspension from international matches.

The move will prevent the national team and Israeli clubs from playing in international competitions including the 2026 World Cup.

Israel will resume the 2026 World Cup Qualification in two weeks with away matches against Norway and Italy.

It is unclear whether FIFA will support Israel's exclusion given the close ties between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump.

Trump's government support for securing the 2026 World Cup and processing visas for players, officials, and possibly hundreds of thousands of visiting supporters, is seen as key for FIFA to host successful tournaments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next year.

A spokesman for the United States State Department said it would seek to stop any attempt to bar Israeli teams from the 2026 World Cup.

The FIFA Regulatory Board is scheduled to meet in Zurich next week. The 37-member board includes eight UEFA members.

Calls to exclude Israel from football and other sports have increased in recent weeks amid protests over the humanitarian impact of its military campaign in Gaza.

Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel should be banned from international sporting events, just like Russia, which was ruled out after its massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

UEFA and President Aleksander Ceferin hinted a firmer view of Israel last month when banners that read "Stop Killing Children" and "Stop Killing Civilians" were displayed on the ground, in front of Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur teams ahead of UEFA Super Cup matches in Udine, Italy.

Discussions on whether to ban Israel from international sporting events emerged amid growing Israeli criticism and isolation of its military campaign, which launched in response to Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.

Last week, Israel was accused of committing genocide in Gaza by the commission of investigation assigned by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Meanwhile, responding to UEFA's intentions, Israeli Sports and Culture Minister Miki Zohar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli Football Federation President Moshe Zuares have worked intensively behind the scenes to hinder Israel's expulsion from the UEFA.

"The right step now is to act responsibly with professionals and not make statements. This is how all parties involved in this effort act. We will discuss this later," said Miki Zohar on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

The decision to ban Russia in 2022 was in part driven by many UEFA member federations refusing to play scheduled matches against Russian opponents.

So far, no national team or club in Europe has refused to fight against Israel even though football leaders in Norway and Italy have publicly expressed their concerns in recent weeks.

The Norwegian Football Federation also pledged to donate profits from the October 11, 2025 match ticket sales in Oslo for humanitarian activities in Gaza by Doctors Without Borders.

Both Gabriele Gravina from Italy and Lise Klaveness from Norway were elected members of the UEFA Executive Committee who could vote to suspend Israel.

Zuares, President of the Israeli Football Federation, is also on the panel. Likewise Nasser Al-Khelaifi, a member of the Qatari government who is also President of Paris Saint-Germain.

Israel has made Qatar, an influential ally of the United States that has been a key mediator during the war, outraged by airstrikes on September 9, 2025 targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

In the Champions League final in May 2025, PSG supporters displayed a banner that read "Stop Genocide in Gaza" in French.

Interestingly, UEFA does not open disciplinary cases even though it has rules that prohibit political messages inside stadiums.

In Greece on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, evening local time, Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, competed against PAOK in the Europa League organized by UEFA.

There were pro-Palestinian protests outside the stadium in Thessaloniki and banners "Stop Genocide" displayed inside the stadium.