UEFA rejects Ireland request to avoid future draws with Israel

UEFA has rejected a request from the Football Association of Ireland to keep the Republic of Ireland and Israel apart in future competition draws. The dispute comes as the two teams are scheduled to meet in the Nations League on 27 September and 4 October. UEFA said such decisions are handled individually and are guided mainly by security considerations.

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The Irish association said its chief executive, David Courell, had asked UEFA whether the teams could be separated after they were paired in February's Nations League draw. UEFA said requests to avoid certain pairings are assessed case by case, taking into account factors linked to security and the relationship between the countries involved. In its statement, the governing body said it monitors each situation carefully and on its own merits.

Courell told reporters that the association had been informed the arrangement would not be possible because Ireland and Israel had never been in direct conflict. The Israel Football Association questioned whether a formal request had been made, with its head of communications, Shlomi Barzel, asking whether there had been an official inquiry or only a public statement. The exchange has added another layer of tension to fixtures that have already drawn attention in Ireland because of the conflict in the Middle East.

The row matters because it sits at the intersection of sport, security and politics. UEFA has long had to manage draw procedures in situations where teams cannot be paired for non-sporting reasons, and its approach is to weigh each case separately rather than apply a blanket rule. In this case, the issue has become more sensitive because the matches are due to take place while debate continues over how football bodies should respond to the wider conflict.