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Ireland's football governing body has given the green light to present a formal motion to Uefa, calling for the exclusion of Israel from continental club and international tournaments.

Grounds for the Proposed Ban

This motion, that had been proposed by Dublin club Bohemians, cited alleged violations by the Israel Football Association of two key Uefa statutes.

• Inability to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy.
• Establishment of clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the approval of the Palestinian Football Association.

Vote Outcome and Next Steps

As stated in an official statement from the Irish FA, the proposal was backed by 74 votes, with seven against and 2 abstentions.

They intends to officially present this motion to the UEFA's decision-making body, asking for the immediate suspension of the Israel Football Association from European tournaments.

In an extraordinary general meeting of the FAI, an ordinary resolution was posed to delegates. It passed by a majority.

Earlier European Deliberations

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

While they never officially confirmed considering an special session on the issue, plans were understood to be well developed.

Global Backdrop

This Irish move comes after similar demands in September from the leaders of both Turkey and Norway's governing bodies for banning Israel from international competition.

Those requests were made after United Nations experts asked world and European football bodies to ban the Israeli FA, referencing a UN investigation that claimed Israel of committing genocide during the Gaza conflict.

The Israeli government has denied these allegations and labeled the findings as outrageous.

Possible Ramifications

If Uefa choose to suspend Israel, it would probably strain relations with the United States government – co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup – which strongly opposes such an measure.

Even though the European body has the power to suspend Israel or its clubs from its tournaments, it might not be able to prevent them from taking part in qualification for the World Cup, which falls under world football's governing body.