UEFA suspends matches in Israel over ongoing war

UEFA has made the decision to postpone all matches originally slated to take place in Israel over the next two weeks.

This move was highly anticipated, considering the severity of the situation, which has tragically claimed a devastating toll of at least 700 casualties, marking a level of tragedy not witnessed in decades.

Among the affected matches is the Euro 2024 qualifying Group I game between Israel and Switzerland, initially set for Thursday at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium. However, this match will no longer proceed as originally scheduled.

In an official statement, the organizing body, UEFA, conveyed this decision to the public.

“In light of the current security situation in Israel, UEFA has decided to postpone all matches scheduled in Israel in the next couple of weeks, with new dates to be confirmed in due course.

“Uefa will continue to closely monitor the situation and will remain in contact with all teams involved before making decisions on new dates and on potential changes to other upcoming fixtures.

“Uefa will take the coming days to assess whether Israel can take part in their Euro 2024 qualifier against Kosovo in Prishtina.”

Additionally, Israel’s European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Estonia and Germany, set for October 12 and 17, respectively, have also been postponed.

Furthermore, UEFA has put a stop to an under-17 mini-tournament that involved Israel, Belgium, Gibraltar, and Wales. This tournament was supposed to run from Wednesday until October 17 but has now been postponed.

However, Israel’s match against Kosovo on Saturday will be evaluated to see if it’s feasible or not in the coming days.