Despite the fact that the majority of UEFA's executive committee members are in favor of suspending Israel for the genocide against the Palestinian people, both at the national and club levels, European football's governing body decided to postpone that decision. This follows US President Donald Trump's announcement of his 20-point plan to address the situation in Gaza, according to Sky Sports.
"Attempts to get UEFA to vote on Israel's suspension from European football are on hold," the outlet reported, while Donald Trump awaits a response from those involved.
According to Sky Sports, there is a consensus among European football leaders that imposing sanctions against Israel during the Gaza negotiations would be the "wrong move."
It is reported that some members of the UEFA Executive Committee had expected a vote on Israel, but an emergency meeting was not called.
The Times newspaper reported on September 25 that a majority of committee members favored suspending Israel. It was presumed that this decision could be made this week.
The Guardian , for its part, clarified that the sanction would not affect jointly organized competitions, such as World Cup qualifying, which is carried out in conjunction with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
Previously, UN experts independently urged FIFA and UEFA to suspend the Israeli national team's participation in international competitions, including at the club level, as a necessary measure to address the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The UN's international commission of inquiry has released a report stating that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip constitute genocide.
The situation is very clear to the president of the Norwegian Football Association, Lise Klaveness, whose team will be Israel's next opponent in the World Cup qualifiers.
Klaveness bluntly called for Israel to be suspended from international football, demanding it before the UEFA vote scheduled for this week was postponed.
Norway will face Israel on October 11 in Oslo in a World Cup qualifier, where a win for the hosts would virtually seal their qualification for next year's tournament in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
The federation president, who also sits on UEFA's executive committee, ruled out a boycott of the match, but said sanctions are necessary.
"I'm working on the issue from a principled perspective, but we won't boycott on our own. A boycott would only result in Israel going to the World Cup instead of us," Klaveness said on the Norwegian podcast Pop and Politics.
"In general, we're now working to have Israel sanctioned. We believe it should be, and it's about enforcing the rules.
"Personally, I think that since Russia is out, Israel should be too. As the president of football, you can have personal opinions, and I certainly have mine," Klaveness added.
“First of all, it's incredibly difficult to play against a country where the word genocide is involved, because after all, it's their flag and national anthem that are still present.”
In addition, the president of the Turkish Football Federation, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, wrote to FIFA, UEFA, and the heads of national football associations requesting a ban on Israel participating in international competitions, local media reported.
While the leaders of sports organizations take a stand, fans are lobbying during matches or competitions to sanction Israel as an urgent measure in the face of the genocide in Palestine. This Tuesday, during a Champions League match between Turkey's Galatasaray and England's Liverpool in Istanbul, supporters of the home team unfurled a monumental banner that read: "Humanity lost its conscience in Gaza."
