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The Football Association of Ireland has voted in favor to present a official proposal to European football's governing body, calling for the banning of Israel from all European club and international tournaments.

Basis of the Recommended Ban

This motion, which was put forward by Dublin club Bohemians, cited alleged violations by the IFA of a couple of important Uefa statutes.

• Failure to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy.
• Establishment of football teams in occupied Palestinian territories lacking the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.

Ballot Results and Next Steps

As stated in an official statement from the FAI, the resolution was supported by 74 votes, with seven opposed and 2 abstentions.

They plans to formally submit this request to the Uefa executive committee, asking for the immediate suspension of the Israel Football Association from European tournaments.

In an extraordinary general meeting of the Football Association of Ireland, an standard motion was posed to members. It was approved by a majority.

Earlier Uefa Considerations

Uefa had previously put on hold intentions to exclude Israel at the end of September, following the announcement of a US peace proposal for the region.

Although they never officially confirmed considering an special session on the issue, preparations were understood to be quite advanced.

Global Context

The FAI resolution follows similar calls in September from the heads of Turkish and Norwegian football associations for banning Israel from global football.

Those requests were issued after United Nations experts urged Fifa and Uefa to suspend Israel, referencing a UN investigation that accused Israel of committing genocide during the Gaza conflict.

Israel has rejected these allegations and labeled the findings as outrageous.

Possible Ramifications

Should Uefa choose to suspend the IFA, it would probably create tension with the US administration – joint hosts for the 2026 World Cup – which is firmly against such an action.

Even though the European body has the power to exclude Israeli teams from European competitions, it might not be able to stop them from taking part in World Cup qualifiers, which is governed by Fifa.