Security concern: UEFA suspends its matches in Israel
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Jerusalem: The Israel Football Association (IFA) on Thursday announced the decision of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to halt its competition matches in Israel until further notice.
UEFA stated that it had conducted a "thorough evaluation of the current safety and security situation in the whole territory of Israel" before the decision was made by its executive committee.
Accordingly, Israeli champion Maccabi Haifa, which participates in the UEFA Europa League, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which plays in the UEFA Europa Conference League, were asked together with the IFA to offer alternative stadiums outside Israel for their home matches.
Maccabi Haifa's next match against Villarreal in Spain was rescheduled from October 26 to December 6, while its next home match, also against Villarreal, is scheduled for November 9.
Maccabi Tel Aviv's next match at home against Ukraine's Zorya Luhansk has been postponed from October 26 to November 25.
Israel is scheduled to host the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Switzerland and Romania on November 15 and 18, respectively. If UEFA's decision is still in effect, the two matches shall be moved to a neutral venue.
With inputs from IANS