Introduction to the Issue
Although the name of Maccabi Tel Aviv is the top priority on the UEFA list, neither they nor their opponents Dinamo Kiev will play at home in their qualification matches of the Europa League over successive Thursdays in August. The UEFA governors of European football have classified Israel and Ukraine as insecure for continental competition due to the ongoing conflicts in the regions.
Reason for Serbia Being Chosen
The first leg on August 21 is played in the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, as well as their former European games this season. Marko Begovic, Associate Professor of Sport Management, stated that there were three main reasons why Serbia was chosen. Firstly, Serbia enjoys stable diplomatic relationships with Israel and has a tradition of cooperation that makes such an agreement politically sustainable. Secondly, Serbia is a politically acceptable compromise in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine conflicts. And thirdly, Serbia has the necessary sporting infrastructure.
Are Sporty Bans the Answer?
Serbia is not a member of NATO, and Begovic said that in view of the long-term political goal of neutrality in international affairs and the fact that the population is much more sympathetic with the war between Russia and Ukraine than that between Israel and Hamas, there are only a few objections to hosting the Israeli teams. Other republics of the former Yugoslavia have also organized Israeli clubs in football and basketball without any issues.
Institutional Memory
Part of this institutional memory is based on antipathy against sporting sanctions against political or military actions. Yugoslavia, which includes Serbia, was subject to an almost total sporting ban in the early nineties, including the Olympic Games, the World Cup, and all other competitions. Russia is currently prohibited from all UEFA and FIFA tournaments, but their national football team continues to play friendlies, generally against teams that are less hostile to Ukraine’s invasion, including some African teams and Serbia.
Will UEFA Become More Political?
The National football team of Palestine is recognized by FIFA, and the athletes are recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Israel is still an active participant in the international sports stage and will send a team to the Eurobasket tournament from basketball, which begins in September. However, a banner with the message "stop killing children, stop killing civilian population" was approved by UEFA, and the recent UEFA Super Cup game between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur in Udine was allowed by UEFA.
The Future of Sports and Politics
UEFA President Alexander Ceferin stated that the problem of Israel’s participation in UEFA competitions is a legitimate question, but he is not a supporter of banning athletes from competitions. Begovic shares this position, stating that there was a very selective approach to sanctioning and prohibiting sports. He believes that the ban and sanctioning of sports will not bring any wars to an end and that sports have a limit in this regard.
Do Sports Bosses Have to Take a Stand?
For some, including EU sports report Glenn Micallef, allowing Israel to stay on the global sports stage while the situation in Gaza worsens is unacceptable. He believes that sport is a tool with which we promote peace and human rights, and there should be no place in sporting events for those who do not share our values. However, others argue that sports organizations should avoid taking political decisions and focus on promoting peace and human rights through sports.
