UEFA Statement on Israel('s comments about UEFA)

yea, the best they can do is say they will hold a discussion about returning the games to israel on the 14th of september, which conveniently is the same day maccabi haifa would have hosted litex lovech in israel for a UEFA cup match after litex (just like liverpool) stated they wouldnt come to israel for the game and cried like babies also like liverpool...

 

Here is the Haaretz article discussing the UEFA ban on Israel hosting matches.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/755858.html

The war's over but Israeli teams won't be hosting here any time soon
By Moshe Boker and Arie Livnat

Israeli sports suffered a double blow yesterday as it was confirmed that both its basketball and soccer teams would have to play their European championship qualifying tournament home matches outside of the country.

The Israel Football Association (IFA) said it would host its Group E tie against Andorra on September 6 in Nijmegen, Holland after UEFA did convene yesterday to discuss a change to its decision that international games should not be played in Israel.

In a separate development FIBA's appeals committee turned down the Israel Basketball Association's appeal against the decision requiring Israel's men's and women's teams to hosting their European championship qualifying tournament matches outside of Israel.

A statement on the IFA's Web site said: "UEFA's decision that international matches should not take place in Israel until further notice has not been changed. ... Israel will host its match against Andorra in Holland. The Israel Football Association continues its preparations to host the match in Nijmegen."

Israel opens its Euro 2008 campaign against Estonia in Tallinn on September 2 and following the match, will fly to Holland to prepare for the game against Andorra.

IFA officials were resigned yesterday to the fact that Israel would not be able to host its opening home game but said the organization would fight to have its remaining matches returned to home soil. England, Croatia, Russia and Macedonia are also in Israel's qualifying group.

The officials said the IFA was planning to hire Swiss attorneys to take the case to the CAS - the international court of arbitration for sport.

"The decision is a very tough one for Israel," said IFA deputy chair Avi Luzon. "The war has been over for some time and I do not think it is legitimate not to allow the return of matches to Israel. We plan to fight UEFA on this issue. The match against Andorra is lost and we will have to play in Holland, but we will have the remaining matches returned to Israel. We will spare no effort and we will hire the top lawyers in Switzerland who are familiar with UEFA regulations. We will use all the tools at our disposal to make sure the matches are played in Israel."

Meanwhile the talk at the IFA yesterday was also of comments made late Sunday night by Sport Minister Ophir Pines-Paz. The minister hit out at UEFA officials accusing them of anti-Semitism.

Anti-Semitic Swedes
"From what I understand, UEFA has no intention of returning the matches to Israel and will announce so shortly," Pines-Paz said Sunday. "One has to understand that we are talking about two anti-Semitic Swedish functionaries who hate Israel. These two Swedes who are working against us are the ones that make the decisions and they hate us."

Pines-Paz was apparently refering to UEFA president Lennart Johansson and its chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson.

IFA chair Itche Menahem was said to have been surprised by Pines-Paz's comments, but told confidants that UEFA's decision had not been taken on professional grounds.

FIBA's decision to uphold its ruling requiring Israel's hoopsters to host outside of the country means both Israel's men's and women's teams will host their European championship matches in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Political hoops
Israel's men's team begins its campaign against Bosnia on Thursday, while the women's team starts off later in the month against Slovenia.

FIBA had wanted to postpone its discussion for a few days until after the World Championship in Japan, but deputy IBA chair Shimon Mizrahi, who is attending the tournament, demanded an immediate hearing before the start of the men's campaign on Thursday.

At the end of a stormy two-hour hearing the appeals committee upheld the decision saying that the fact that Israel had agreed to an alternative venue construed agreement. The appeals committee refused to hear the IBA's claim that the security grounds that had led to FIBA's decision no longer existed as the hostilities in the North had ended.

"The decision is completely unfounded and unfair," IBA chair Yermi Olmert said. "It doesn't at all relate to the security grounds. I don't understand it. There was a terrorist attack in Marmaris today. Did anyone at FIBA suggest Turkey move its games to an alternative venue or question whether Turkey can hold the World CHampionship in 2010? I don't know whether it's a political decision, but FIBA certainly isn't treating Israel favorably."

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UEFA can make as many statements as they wish, but it wont change the fact that the minister was right. UEFA is being a racist and unfair organization right now. there has been a cease fire since august 14 and the games are still kept away from israel. israel is safe right now and not to mention tel-aviv which was completely safe even during the war. all this while there have been a number of terrorist bombings in Turkey, many terrorist threats in England, and no terror attacks (thank god) in tel-aviv for the past few months now...