Doha has stepped up lobbying ahead of a vote coinciding with Rosh Hashanah that could see the Jewish state expelled from European soccer and the World Cup.
Qatar is actively pressuring UEFA to expel Israel from European soccer competitions, with a key vote expected at a UEFA Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, coinciding with the Jewish New Year.
Doha has been engaged in intense lobbying efforts over the past few weeks to secure a majority in favor of the Jewish state’s expulsion, with a “sweeping majority” of the 20 voting members on board with Israel’s removal and only two or three countries firmly opposed to the move, Israel Hayom reported on Saturday.
While Israeli officials are working behind the scenes to get the issue off the agenda for Tuesday, Qatar has been ramping up its efforts, especially since an Israeli strike in Doha on Sept. 9 targeting Hamas terrorist leaders in response to a Hamas-claimed shooting in Jerusalem the previous day that killed six and wounded 21.
The fate of scheduled international matches is up in the air pending the vote on Rosh Hashanah, with Maccabi Tel Aviv scheduled to open its Europa League campaign against PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece the following day.
The suspension would reportedly end the Israeli national team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying run, organized by UEFA. Israeli clubs would also be barred from the UEFA Europa League and other European club competitions.
“We are working on this on every front,” a senior official at the Israel Football Association told Israel Hayom, adding that “no one at the association is asleep at the wheel.”