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The Football Association of Ireland has given the green light to submit a official proposal to Uefa, demanding the exclusion of Israeli football from continental club and international tournaments.

Grounds for the Recommended Suspension

This motion, which was proposed by Dublin club Bohemians, highlighted claimed violations by the IFA of two important Uefa statutes.

• Failure to apply and uphold an effective anti-racism policy.
• Establishment of football teams in disputed territories lacking the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.

Vote Outcome and Next Steps

According to an official statement from the Irish FA, the resolution was backed by 74 votes, with 7 against and two abstentions.

The association intends to officially present this request to the UEFA's decision-making body, asking for the prompt ban of the IFA from European tournaments.

During a special assembly of the FAI, an ordinary resolution was put to members. It passed by a large margin.

Earlier Uefa Deliberations

Uefa had previously paused intentions to exclude Israel at the close of last month, following the revealing of Donald Trump's proposed peace plan for the region.

While Uefa never officially confirmed considering an extraordinary meeting on the matter, preparations were understood to be well developed.

International Backdrop

The FAI move comes after comparable calls in last autumn from the leaders of Turkish and Norwegian governing bodies for Israel's suspension from international competition.

Those requests were made after United Nations experts urged Fifa and Uefa to ban Israel, citing a UN investigation that claimed Israel of committing genocide during the war in Gaza.

Israel has rejected these allegations and described the report as outrageous.

Possible Ramifications

If Uefa choose to suspend Israel, it would likely strain relations with the US administration – joint hosts for the 2026 World Cup – which strongly opposes such an action.

Although the European body has the authority to exclude Israel or its clubs from European competitions, it may not be able to prevent them from competing in qualification for the World Cup, which falls under Fifa.