Uefa has paused plans to ban Israel from European football after the announcement of Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan for the region.
Expectation had been growing of a decisive intervention by Uefa this week, amid growing pressure within football and from outside groups, including the United Nations. But Trump’s announcement of his plan in a joint press conference with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday put any measures on hold.
Uefa never officially confirmed that it was considering an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee to vote on whether to exclude Israel from its competitions, but plans on the proposal were understood to be well developed, with any meeting expected to have been called at short notice.
National federations who had been supportive of a ban accepted the decision to pause, with sources saying it would be “stupid” for Uefa to take individual action while collective peace efforts are under way. That position may be revisited if there is not agreement over the Trump deal, with Trump saying on Tuesday that Hamas had “three or four days” to accept his proposals.
Last week a group of senior diplomats last week called on Uefa and Fifa to enact a ban after the publication of a report by the UN independent international commission of inquiry that found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. A fortnight ago the campaign group Game Over Israel took over a billboard in New York’s Times Square to urge federations to boycott matches with the country.
The announcement of the Trump plan has swung the pendulum again, with the proposal welcomed by Keir Starmer on Tuesday alongside leaders from France and Germany among other European nations. It has also been backed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan, whose foreign ministers relayed their support in a statement.
The last remaining Israeli side in European club competition, Maccabi Tel Aviv, are due to face Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday night. Israel are scheduled to play Norway on 11 October and Italy three days later in World Cup qualifying.
