THE boycott movement against Israel has long called for Israeli clubs to be banned from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
On Thursday night, Israeli football fans attacked houses with Palestinian flags before violence erupted in Amsterdam.
The clashes came following a game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax as part of the UEFA Europa League.
Police said dozens of arrests had been made and an unknown number of fans were injured, while Israel scrambled emergency planes to allow fans to return home safely.
Novara Media co-founder Aaron Bastani called for Israel to be banned from UEFA amid the fall-out.
Responding to Sir Ephraim Mirvis – Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth – who called violence against Israeli fans a "watershed moment", Bastani said: "The ‘watershed moment’ is that Israeli clubs should be banned by UEFA.
"Before anyone claims that’s ’racist’ - the same happened to English clubs in the 1980s.
The ‘watershed moment’ is that Israeli clubs should be banned by UEFA. Before anyone claims that’s ’racist’ - the same happened to English clubs in the 1980s. This began with violence, horrendous chanting and attacks on property. https://t.co/UeuQpfSI7a
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) November 8, 2024
"This began with violence, horrendous chanting and attacks on property."
Why is Israel a member of UEFA?
Israel was admitted as an associated member of UEFA in 1992 and was admitted as a full member in 1994, despite not being in Europe.
It came after Israel was banned from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) group of FIFA in 1974, although calls for Israel to be banned completely from FIFA have been unsuccessful so far.
In March, UEFA banned competition matches from being played in Israel “until further notice” due to safety and security concerns.
It has also previously rejected Israeli bids to host games, including the 2020 European championships.
However, UEFA has not banned Israel from participating in competitions altogether.
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