UEFA 'receive urgent request' over Maccabi Tel Aviv as Israeli team draw Aston Villa in Europa League
Europa League clubs 'tested the water' with UEFA over the possibility of not being drawn against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv in the group stage draw, a new report has claimed.
The Israeli Premier League champions are their nation's only representative in the group phase proper across all three European competitions.
They have been drawn against Aston Villa, Dinamo Zagreb, Lyon, PAOK, Midtjylland, SC Freiburg, Bologna and VfB Stuttgart.
The schedule means they will have an away fixture in England and Greece, as well as two matches in Germany.
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According to The Times, a number of unnamed clubs taking part in the competition are said to have 'tested the water' with UEFA over whether there was any process to request not being drawn against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
It is added that although UEFA 'received no official requests from any clubs' - and that their policies would prevent that from happening regardless - it is said that 'concerns are increasing' among football chiefs about Tel Aviv's participation in the Europa League this season.
SPORTbible have approached UEFA for further comment.
Israel, and its clubs, are free to play in UEFA and FIFA competitions despite the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, which began in October 2023 after Hamas killed nearly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during an attack on Israel.
Over 80,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory of Gaza since the war began, with over 17,000 of those children.
Earlier this week, the United Nations officially declared a 'man-made' famine in Gaza, with the territory now matching all three of its famine thresholds.
In March, experts from the global organisation accused Israel of committing 'genocidal acts' in Gaza - an accusation denied by the Israeli regime.
The Italian Football Coaches Association (AICA) and the football association of Norway - significant as both nations are in Israel's World Cup qualifying group - have called for Israel to be suspended from playing in UEFA and FIFA-sanctioned events.
Tel Aviv played in last season's Europa League but were knocked out in the league phase after winning two and losing six of their eight matches.
Israeli clubs were relatively successful in Europe around the turn of the century, with Hapoel Tel Aviv reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2001/02.
Maccabi Haifa, meanwhile, have entered the Champions League on three occasions, though it is Maccabi Tel Aviv that are now the dominant Israeli club in European competition.
Topics: Aston Villa, Europa League, Football, UEFA
Ryan Smart