UEFA will meet to decide whether to suspend Israel from international competitions.

UEFA will meet next week to decide on the participation of Israel and its teams in international competitions, with the majority of members leaning toward suspension, EFE reports.

According to The Times , "most members of the executive committee are in favour of suspending Israel", after eight UN experts , including the rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese , called on FIFA and UEFA on Tuesday to suspend the Israeli national team from international competitions "in response to the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory".

Those in favor of suspending Israel point to the example of Russia, which has been excluded from European competitions since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

A possible suspension by UEFA would not be linked to a FIFA decision, which would, however, put Israel in a very difficult position ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where it is playing for qualification , finishing third in its group behind Norway and Italy.

As for club competitions, Maccabi Tel Aviv is the only club playing in them this season and faced significant protests on Wednesday when they played PAOK in Greece.

In August, UEFA took a stand against the killing of civilians and children, with a banner at the European Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur , but without mentioning Israel.

When UEFA announced the death of footballer Suleiman al-Obeid , known as the Palestinian Pelé, Mohamed Salah criticized them on social media for the lack of information about his death. "Can you tell us how, where, and why he died?" the Egyptian player wrote.

Al Obeid was killed by Israeli military forces while in Gaza awaiting humanitarian aid.

The UN experts clarified that the boycott "must be directed at the State of Israel and not at individual players," as they cannot bear the consequences of their government's decisions. Therefore, there should be no discrimination or sanctions against athletes based on their origin or nationality.

"National teams representing states that commit massive human rights violations can and should be suspended, as has happened in the past," they added.