Still awating decision on Liverpool vs. Maccabi Haifa




Senior UEFA official Jacob Erel, the head of the National Associations' division at European soccer's governing body, said yesterday that the decision not to hold Hapoel Tel Aviv and Bnei Yehuda's UEFA Cup home ties was taken on the basis of an evaluation provided by European security sources.

"Not only UEFA, but the whole of Europe sees Israel as a war zone,"

the Israeli official told Haaretz yesterday.

Follow up:

Erel rejected claims that UEFA had done an about turn after saying last week that the matches would be played in Israel.

"The Israel Football Association was instructed to find alternative venues [should the need arise], but it is trying to sell to everyone a version of events that suits it."

IFA chair Itche Menahem said yesterday that he had talked by phone with Erel and told him he was furious with UEFA.

"I told him that I am angry and offended." Menahem said. "How is it that three days ago UEFA informs me that the matches will be held in Israel unless there is a change in the security situation, but now UEFA has changed its decision. The decision was not made on security grounds; it resulted from pressures from big clubs and it violates UEFA's own policy."

Erel said however that no club could influence UEFA's decision, which he said had been made solely on security grounds.

"I hope the situation will improve and the matches will return to Israel,"

Erel said.


When asked whether as an Israeli and a UEFA director, he felt stuck between a rock and a hard place, Erel replied:

"The decision not to play in Israel was not mine and I see no personal element."

Erel dismissed charges that anti-Semitism also played a part in the decision.

"No one at UEFA has anything against Israel. It is a pity that things have been gone in that direction."

Erel said that Menahem's attempt to create a parallel with European basketball where teams continue to play in Israel was unrealistic.

"One has to understand that this is a completely other dimension,"

he said.


The UEFA executive said that Israel's only hope was perhaps to turn to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

"Two weeks ago we were forced to overturn our decision not to accept Gibraltar as a full member of UEFA,"

Erel noted.


Menahem has indeed threatened to take the case to the CAS. When asked whether he would want Israel's appeal to be accepted, Erel replied:

"I would rather not answer that question."

UEFA is due to decide on August 7 the Champions League qualifying round match between Maccabi Haifa and Liverpool, which is scheduled for later in the month, as well as the location of the UEFA Cup second round qualifying match between Beitar Jerusalem and Romania's Dinamo Bucharest.


Meanwhile, Lebanon has withdrawn from qualifying for the 2007 Asian Cup, citing widespread damage caused by Israeli air strikes, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said yesterday.


The Lebanon Football Association (LFA) said several Lebanese players were missing amid the destruction. A senior LFA official added that there was no way of contacting them.