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Ireland's football governing body has given the green light to present a formal motion to Uefa, demanding the exclusion of Israel from all European club and international competitions.

Grounds for the Proposed Suspension

The resolution, that had been proposed by Irish side Bohemians, highlighted alleged breaches by the Israel Football Association of a couple of key European football regulations.

• Inability to apply and uphold an proper anti-racism policy.
• Organisation of football teams in disputed territories without the approval of the Palestinian Football Association.

Ballot Results and Next Steps

According to an official statement from the Irish FA, the resolution was backed by 74 votes, with 7 against and two not voting.

They plans to formally submit this motion to the UEFA's decision-making body, asking for the immediate suspension of the IFA from Uefa competitions.

During a special assembly of the Football Association of Ireland, an standard motion was posed to members. It was approved by a majority.

Previous Uefa Considerations

The European body had earlier put on hold intentions to exclude Israeli football at the end of September, following the announcement of a US peace proposal for the area.

While they never publicly stated contemplating an extraordinary meeting on the issue, plans were understood to be well developed.

Global Context

The FAI move comes after similar calls in September from the heads of Turkish and Norwegian governing bodies for banning Israel from international competition.

Those requests were issued after UN specialists asked world and European football bodies to ban the Israeli FA, citing a UN commission of inquiry report that accused the country of committing genocide during the war in Gaza.

Israel has denied these claims and labeled the findings as outrageous.

Potential Consequences

Should Uefa decide to suspend Israel, it would likely create tension with the United States government – co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup – which strongly opposes such an measure.

Although Uefa has the authority to exclude Israel or its clubs from its tournaments, it may not be able to stop them from taking part in World Cup qualifiers, which falls under Fifa.