A vote by UEFA members on whether to exclude Israel from European football has been postponed as US President Donald Trump pushes his 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. European football leaders believe that imposing sporting sanctions on Israel is not the right move during peace negotiations.
The vote by UEFA members on the exclusion of Israel from European football has been postponed, as it has been decided not to rush into sanctions while US President Donald Trump promotes his plan to end the war in Gaza. This was reported by Sky News, according to UNN.
UEFA vote on Israel's exclusion from European football postponed while Donald Trump tries to end Gaza war
– the publication writes.
According to sources, last week UEFA received reports of growing discontent among UEFA executive committee members and European football associations regarding the exclusion of Israeli teams.
However, since then, President Trump has unveiled a 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the two-year war, and negotiations are currently underway to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The prevailing view among European football leaders is that imposing sports sanctions against Israel would not be the right step in the peace negotiation process.
Norway has been one of the most active European countries to advocate for Israel to remain a participant in sports competitions amid the destruction and devastation in Gaza.
Proceeds from the match in Oslo will be donated to humanitarian workers to provide aid in Gaza.
However, announcing his squad today, coach Ståle Solbakken declined to discuss the conflict, stating that he would only express his opinion on Israel after the match.
Pressure to exclude Israel from UEFA intensified after a UN investigative commission stated that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies this, insisting that it is fighting to destroy Hamas and return hostages after the attacks of October 7, 2023.
Let us recall
On September 24, it was reported that despite calls for suspension due to military actions, Israel retained its UEFA membership thanks to the active intervention of the United States and a number of influential football structures. The issue of exclusion has now been removed from the agenda.
However, the very next day, it became known that UEFA members supported a ban on Israel participating in European football tournaments next week by a majority vote. The decision is being considered against the backdrop of protests and the UN Commission's conclusion on genocide in Gaza, and a group of UN advisors called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend the Israeli national team from international competitions as a "necessary response to human rights violations."
US President Donald Trump has prepared a peace plan to end Israel's war with Hamas militants, consisting of 20 points.
