Israel-Hamas war causes disarray in European football – 10/20/2023 – The World Is a Ball

Completing two weeks, the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is causing complications in the progress of football in Europe.

Although Israel is located in Asia, local clubs, as well as its national team, play in European competitions, as the Israel Football Association has been affiliated with UEFA since 1994, the entity that controls football on the old continent.

The change of Israeli football confederation, from Asia to Europe, occurred due to the history of political and religious disagreements with countries in the Middle East, which prevented diplomatic relations and affected participation in sporting competitions.

With the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, UEFA decided that the games in the club tournaments it organizes will not, until further notice, be held on Israeli soil.

The UEFA statement said: “The Israel Football Federation and the clubs Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv have been asked to propose alternative stadiums, outside the territory of Israel, for their home games, to be used while this decision is in force.” .

This affects two clubs, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa – who are the biggest national champions, with 23 and 15 titles, respectively –, and will most likely affect the country’s national team.

Israel would face Switzerland in the 2024 Euro 2024 qualifiers in the country’s capital (Tel Aviv), on the 12th of this month (Thursday before last).

The match, vital to both parties’ aspirations, was postponed until November 15th and, if the conflict in the region does not subside before that date, which is unlikely today, it will have to be played on neutral ground.

The two teams are in Group I, Switzerland in second place (15 points, with three games to play), and Israel in third (11 points, four games to go, as, in addition to not having hosted Switzerland, they were unable to play in the 15th, as a visitor, against Kosovo).

Romania, who played normally on the FIFA date, obtaining one victory and one draw, took the lead (16 points, with two games to play).

The first two in the group, completed by the eliminated Belarus and Andorra, qualify for the European team tournament, which will be held in Germany in June and July next year.

Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv will have to choose another country and stadium, and reach an understanding with the government and football federation of that nation (or nations, if there is more than one), to play the next game in the European tournament of which participate.

Maccabi Haifa is in the Europa League, the second European interclub in importance, behind the Champions League. On November 9th, they would receive the Spanish Villarreal in the port city located in the north of Israel – the duel will no longer take place there.

Before that, the two teams would duel in Spain next Thursday, the 26th, but the game was moved to December 6th.

Maccabi Tel Aviv competes in the Conference League, which is in its third edition and is behind the Champions and Europa League in relevance on the continent.

On the 26th of this month, the team would host Zorya Luhansk – coincidentally, a team from another country at war and which cannot play in Ukraine, having to play its games on neutral ground (in Poland). The match was rescheduled for November 24th.

Thus, the two Maccabis (the word Maccabi is related to Jewish sporting and cultural organizations and events), if the war allows the players to leave Israel, will work closely in a nation that temporarily welcomes them.

LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access five free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.