Europa League 2025-26

[amfy]

I've just received the petition on my phone. Politics is always going to be linked with sport and I don't necessarily have a problem with that. Different set of circumstances but South Africa were eventually excluded during apartheid only because of political activism.
I would be in favour for Israel to be excluded from all international sporting activity in much the same way as Russia has.
However, I will not be signing this petition as it does not have clear aims as to what it is trying to achieve. Boycott the game...play it elsewhere...stop away fans...behind closed doors....which is it ? As others have said this appears to merely stoke up the fires.
If a petition appears with one clear stated aim, demanding Israel to immediately be excluded from all international sport I'll sign up.

https://www.change.org/p/ban-israel-from-international-football-50929b2e-3aad-4c9e-87c8-a2bd713bc933?signed=true

[Dave]

BREAKING: UEFA’s executive committee is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to suspend Israel’s national team and clubs from all European competitions.

Qatar is reportedly leading a major push to bring the motion to a vote, pressuring UEFA members over the past week to secure a majority.

Only two or three countries currently oppose the move, with most favoring Israel’s removal.

https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1969328799079686548?t=0Mk9dL73iqnJgEm29Ks7xw&s=19

Qatar don't have a vote in UEFA committees?

But hey, the guy's got posts championing the Taliban's record on women's rights, so he seems reliable.

If it does happen I'm certainly not going to be complaining - but doing it just because the Qataris now have so much influence over European football definitely feels like the worst way for it to happen.

[Chris Harte]

BREAKING: UEFA’s executive committee is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to suspend Israel’s national team and clubs from all European competitions.

Qatar is reportedly leading a major push to bring the motion to a vote, pressuring UEFA members over the past week to secure a majority.

Only two or three countries currently oppose the move, with most favoring Israel’s removal.

https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1969328799079686548?t=0Mk9dL73iqnJgEm29Ks7xw&s=19

Qatar don't have a vote in UEFA committees?

But hey, the guy's got posts championing the Taliban's record on women's rights, so he seems reliable.

If it does happen I'm certainly not going to be complaining - but doing it just because the Qataris now have so much influence over European football definitely feels like the worst way for it to happen.

I've been saying for years that a Champions League final is going to be played in Qatar or the UAE at some point. If the Qataris have got the ear of UEFA members on Israel then you can bet they might make moves on a showpiece final.

On the subject of Israel, I don't see why they're allowed to participate given the genocide currently playing out. More broadly, I've never understood why Israel is in UEFA. Maybe it's because the alternative is playing against Arab states regularly.

[Exeter 77]

Israel were thrown out of the Asian Football Confederation due to the politics involved - no-one would play them - and at one point played in the Oceania World Cup qualifiers. Someone somewhere decided that the least contentious place for them was UEFA in around 1990.

[Dave]

On the subject of Israel, I don't see why they're allowed to participate given the genocide currently playing out. More broadly, I've never understood why Israel is in UEFA. Maybe it's because the alternative is playing against Arab states regularly.

On the first it's because nobody has put anything forward to stop them.

If the other members had kicked off and demand they be kicked out then they probably would have been. But the loudest voices don't want them to be kicked out.

On the second, they were in the AFC until 1974 when they were voted out. They played in the OFC in the 80s and would have been at the 1990 World Cup representing Oceania but lost a play-off to Colombia.

After that they joined UEFA. Which seems more sensible than them playing New Zealand.

[Brazilian Villain]

More broadly, I've never understood why Israel is in UEFA. Maybe it's because the alternative is playing against Arab states regularly.

Wait till you hear Australia takes part in Eurovision, and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation.

[Chris Harte]

More broadly, I've never understood why Israel is in UEFA. Maybe it's because the alternative is playing against Arab states regularly.

Wait till you hear Australia takes part in Eurovision, and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation.

Oh, I knew that. The Eurovision thing was a sixtieth (?) anniversary thing that was meant to be a one-off that's no longer a one-off on account of EV being so popular there.

Edit, thanks Dave and Exeter. I didn't realise they'd moved around the difference conferences.

[andyh]

No sign of my Bologna ticket.
Deleted and reloaded the App, ticket appeared.

That seems to be a regular thing now.

[Chris Harte]

No sign of my Bologna ticket.
Deleted and reloaded the App, ticket appeared.

That seems to be a regular thing now.

That app is garbage. It doesn't respect notification preferences. I had to switch off all notifications for the app in the phone settings.

[not3bad]

BREAKING: UEFA’s executive committee is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to suspend Israel’s national team and clubs from all European competitions.

Qatar is reportedly leading a major push to bring the motion to a vote, pressuring UEFA members over the past week to secure a majority.

Only two or three countries currently oppose the move, with most favoring Israel’s removal.

https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1969328799079686548?t=0Mk9dL73iqnJgEm29Ks7xw&s=19

Qatar don't have a vote in UEFA committees?

But hey, the guy's got posts championing the Taliban's record on women's rights, so he seems reliable.

It appears his source is a report in the Israeli press.
https://www.israelhayom.co.il/sport/israeli-soccer/article/18887252

[Monty]

BREAKING: UEFA’s executive committee is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to suspend Israel’s national team and clubs from all European competitions.

Qatar is reportedly leading a major push to bring the motion to a vote, pressuring UEFA members over the past week to secure a majority.

Only two or three countries currently oppose the move, with most favoring Israel’s removal.

https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1969328799079686548?t=0Mk9dL73iqnJgEm29Ks7xw&s=19

Qatar don't have a vote in UEFA committees?

But hey, the guy's got posts championing the Taliban's record on women's rights, so he seems reliable.

It appears his source is a report in the Israeli press.
https://www.israelhayom.co.il/sport/israeli-soccer/article/18887252

Then why was his the first report you saw?

[not3bad]

BREAKING: UEFA’s executive committee is expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to suspend Israel’s national team and clubs from all European competitions.

Qatar is reportedly leading a major push to bring the motion to a vote, pressuring UEFA members over the past week to secure a majority.

Only two or three countries currently oppose the move, with most favoring Israel’s removal.

https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1969328799079686548?t=0Mk9dL73iqnJgEm29Ks7xw&s=19

Qatar don't have a vote in UEFA committees?

But hey, the guy's got posts championing the Taliban's record on women's rights, so he seems reliable.

It appears his source is a report in the Israeli press.
https://www.israelhayom.co.il/sport/israeli-soccer/article/18887252

Then why was his the first report you saw?

Because someone sent it to me!

[Monty]

Cool cool cool.

[not3bad]

Snarky today.

[Monty]

Just remembering your pro bono media work on behalf of the Assad regime.