UEFA postpones upcoming matches in Israel

NYON: European soccer’s governing body UEFA has postponed all matches scheduled to take place in Israel over the next two weeks after Hamas’ surprise attack that has put the country in a state of war with rapid mobilization of troops and retaliation.

“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 said in a statement on Sunday.

That includes Israel’s match against Switzerland in 2024 European Championship qualifying, which had been scheduled for Thursday at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium.

“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 said.

Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier at Kosovo on Oct. 15 could also be affected with UEFA saying it ‘reserves a few more days to assess’ whether the match can take place on that date or requires postponement.”

Israel’s European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Estonia and Germany on Thursday and Oct. 17, respectively, have also been postponed. An U17 mini-tournament involving Israel, Belgium, Gibraltar and Wales, scheduled to run from Wednesday until Oct. 17, was also postponed.