Aston Villa face an anxious wait for an update on their Europa League campaign after it emerged Uefa are set to hold talks over the suspension of Israeli football clubs and the national team.
Villa are due to play Maccabi Tel Aviv at home on 6 November.
A UN Commission of Inquiry found last week that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza with a panel of advisers recommending football bodies to implement sporting sanctions as a result.
The i Paper spoke to multiple sources in Israel, who have not yet been forewarned of any action against the national team or clubs in European competition. Those on the ground in Gaza also told The i Paper no decision has yet been taken but that there has been a long-standing legal campaign to expel Israel from international football.
What we know so far
Any potential ban would be decided by Uefa’s executive committee. If Uefa were to unilaterally impose a ban, it would pose questions for Fifa too; Uefa run the European qualifiers for the World Cup, but it is a Fifa competition. The next Fifa council, the first opportunity to discuss these developments, is on 2 October.
Israel play Norway on 11 October and Italy on 14 October. Norway have announced they will give all proceeds from their match to Doctors Without Borders’ humanitarian work in Gaza. Before the Villa match Maccabi also play Dinamo Zagreb and FC Midtjylland.
If a ban was imposed, the Israeli FA would have the right to appeal, which could delay the process further.
What could happen to Villa’s game?
If the Israeli Premier League side are kicked out of European competition, there are two options for the remainder of the Europa League calendar.
- A forfeit – all the teams still to play Maccabi are awarded three points automatically. However, that would disadvantage Greek side PAOK, who drew 0-0 in their first match.
- More likely is that Maccabi’s existing results would remain valid and the league would then continue as if they had not been in it.
According to Article 29.03 of the Europa League rules, ” a calculation of points will need to take place upon completion of the league phase, to take cancelled matches into account.
“Any club that has not been able to play its scheduled match against a disqualified/withdrawn club is awarded the average number of points earned by all clubs in its same seeding pot against the clubs in the same pot as that disqualified/withdrawn club in home matches – if the affected club was due to play at home, or in away matches if the affected club was due to play away.
“The league phase points of all matches that have been played, including the points obtained by clubs in matches involving the disqualified/withdrawn club before their disqualification/withdrawal are not adjusted in any way, and all taken into account for the average points calculation.”
Villa’s tickets are already on sale, including hospitality packages, so refunds would have to be issued if the fixture were cancelled.
Who is for a ban – and who is against it?
During Maccabi’s first game, PAOK fans unveiled a banner reading “Stop genocide, show Israel the red card.”
In the UK, the independent MP Jeremy Corbyn is among the high-profile figures to call for Uefa to cancel the Villa-Maccabi match.
Uefa and Fifa also face ongoing legal challenges from the Palestinian FA over Israeli clubs playing on land the UN recognises as occupied territory in the West Bank, at Ma’aleh Adomim, Maccabi Ariel, Hapoel Jordan Valley, Givat Zeev, Kiryat Arba and Bikat Hayarden.
Your next read
The Turkish FA are leading international calls for sanctions to be implemented against the Israeli FA, with the organisation’s president Ibrahim Ethem Haciosmanoglu writing in an open letter that “despite positioning themselves as defenders of civic values and peace, the sporting world and football institutions have remained silent for far too long”.
In November 2024, Maccabi had to have a Europa League match against Turkish club Besiktas moved to Debrecen, Hungary due to security concerns.
Those who want Israeli clubs sanctioned point to the precedent set by the expulsion of Russia from football following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, a number of national associations publicly refused to play against Russia, which has not yet happened with Israel.
Should Israel qualify for the World Cup, the US – one of the 2026 co-hosts alongside Mexico and Canada – intend to support their participation.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/oVwB0rh
Post a Comment