19.11.2025 18:52
The Bohemians, a team from the Irish League, made a historic move to call for the expulsion of Israel from football due to its implementation of apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territories. A motion prepared by the Bohemians Club, aimed at expelling Israel from football for violating UEFA rules, was accepted with 74 votes.
The proposal brought to the agenda of the General Assembly of the Irish Football Association by the Bohemians Club at the beginning of November, which was accepted by a large majority, was submitted to UEFA, demanding the suspension of Israel's membership, which violates UEFA and FIFA statutes, and its expulsion from football if it does not end its apartheid practices.
PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO UEFA The Irish Football Association decided to officially apply to UEFA for the expulsion of Israel from football at its ordinary general assembly held on November 8.
ACCEPTED WITH 74 VOTES The proposal prepared by the Bohemians Club for the expulsion of Israel from football due to its violation of UEFA rules was officially submitted to the governing body of European football with 74 votes in favor. While 7 members opposed the proposal, 2 members abstained. In a statement from the federation, it was noted that Israel violated FIFA (Article 73) and UEFA (Article 5) statutes by establishing clubs in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank without the approval of the Palestinian Football Association. The statement also indicated that Israel violated Article 7 of the UEFA statutes by not implementing an effective anti-racism policy.
90% VOTED IN FAVOR Daniel Lambert, the Operations Director of Bohemians and one of the two members representing the capital at the federation general assembly, stated in an interview with Anadolu Agency regarding the issue, "In many matters, including football, we forget that power lies not in high-ranking officials but in people. We brought a simple proposal, and it was related to two clear violations of UEFA rules. It was really very reassuring and hopeful that 90% of the people at the general assembly voted in favor."
'ISRAEL IS PRACTICING APARTHEID' Daniel Lambert stated that UEFA must suspend Israel's membership, saying, "UEFA has a statute, and this statute constitutes the most important rules governing football. If we tell a child that they cannot hold the ball and cannot dangerously intervene by sliding, these are basic rules. If we say that the most important rules in football can be violated by a country without any sanctions, that is bad for football. Regardless of anyone's views on Israel and Palestine, there is no reason for a country to violate these rules. Especially regarding teams playing in the occupied territories, according to the ruling of the International Court of Justice last year, Israel is practicing apartheid. This is an undeniable fact. No one can deny that apartheid is being practiced."
Lambert explained that a system supporting apartheid cannot be rewarded, stating, "Apartheid is not just about barbed wire, walls, and driving people from their lands. It is about normalizing society when you seize those lands to be able to watch football, and the only comparable example to this is South Africa. Everyone agrees that the end of apartheid in South Africa was a good thing, and many things played a role in the collapse of apartheid in South Africa. One of them was sports. In many sports, South Africa was deprived of its right to compete. In football, FIFA suspended South Africa for supporting the apartheid system and then expelled it. We can take this measure against South Africa, and it was the right measure. But why are we not taking any measures? Israel should be suspended and expelled if they do not withdraw teams from the occupied territories. This is not an opinion; it is UEFA's rule. Therefore, I want to believe that they can enforce their own rules. If they cannot, it would be an even greater hypocrisy, and then we will see what happens."
'WE SEE THE GENOCIDE IN GAZA' Lambert expressed that the increasing reactions against Israeli teams in European countries should not diminish, stating, "We cannot normalize this. We see the genocide in Gaza, but we also see that an absolute apartheid system is spreading in the West Bank. This has never stopped. When we talk to the Palestinian National Team, they were restricting the women's national team's ability to go to training. They were not allowing them to pass. This is a brutal apartheid system at every level, and it has been going on every day for decades. We must take measures to stop this. This cannot be rewarded. Another point that needs more attention is that teams playing in the occupied territories receive funding from UEFA. Often, this money is spent on facilities and infrastructure. So UEFA is directly supporting physical apartheid."