UEFA Suspends Matches in Israel Indefinitely Due to Safety Concerns

UEFA, the governing body of European football, has announced that no matches organized by them will be played in Israel “until further notice” due to the “current safety and security situation” in the country.

This decision comes in response to growing concerns over the safety of players, officials, and fans participating in matches on Israeli soil.

The safety measures taken by UEFA include the postponement of several matches. Maccabi Haifa’s UEFA Europa League Group F clash with Villarreal, initially scheduled for October 26, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, December 6.

Likewise, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Group B match against Zorya Luhansk in the UEFA Europa Conference League, set for the same date, will now take place on Saturday, November 25.

UEFA emphasized the importance of prioritizing safety and security in their statement, saying, “After a thorough evaluation of the current safety and security situation in the whole territory of Israel, the UEFA Executive Committee decided that no UEFA competition matches shall be played in Israel until further notice.”

Furthermore, UEFA has called upon the Israel Football Association and its clubs, Maccabi Haifa FC and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, to propose alternative venues and stadiums outside of Israel that comply with all applicable UEFA regulations.

These alternative venues will be used for home matches as long as the suspension remains in effect.

Maccabi Haifa currently finds itself at the bottom of Group F, having secured just one point from their first two Europa League matches.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, led by former Premier League striker Robbie Keane, is currently in the third position in Group B, with three points after two games in their Conference League group.

In a separate decision, UEFA declared that the European qualifier between Belgium and Sweden, which was abandoned at half-time due to a terrorist attack that claimed the lives of two Swedish nationals in Brussels, will be officially recorded as a 1-1 draw.

UEFA cited the impracticality of resuming the match and the consent of both the Royal Belgian Football Association and the Swedish Football Association to consider the half-time score as final.

This decision has no bearing on the qualification of Group F, as Belgium has already secured a place in the UEFA EURO 2024 final tournament alongside Austria, while Sweden has been mathematically eliminated.

The remaining fixtures will be scheduled in accordance with the upcoming November international window, as the preliminary group stage of the competition concludes and prepares for the play-off draw and final tournament draw.