FAI Says Uefa Rejected Request to Keep Ireland and Israel Apart in Draws

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has said that a request it made to Uefa, asking that the Republic of Ireland and Israel be kept apart in future competition draws, was rejected.

According to the FAI, the governing body of European football declined the appeal, meaning the two nations remain subject to the standard draw procedures used across Uefa competitions.

The BBC reported the FAI's statement but did not provide further detail on the reasoning given by Uefa for rejecting the request, nor on when the appeal was originally submitted.

Uefa has not issued a separate public statement on the matter, according to the available reporting.

The FAI's disclosure comes amid continued attention on the participation of Israeli teams in international football competitions, though the specific context behind the association's request was not detailed in the report.