Israel at war- Israeli teams ask UEFA to push off matches

In the aftermath of the attacks carried out by Hamas, Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv have jointly approached UEFA seeking a postponement of their upcoming matches against Villarreal in the Europa League and Zuria in the Conference League. The official request was made in coordination with the Israeli Football Association. Both games are scheduled for next Thursday, October 26. 

Haifa has yet to fully resume normal training, with only small group sessions taking place. Moreover, the club's foreign players have left the country, and some of the Israeli players are absent as well. 

"We firmly believe that UEFA should approve our request," expressed a player from the team. "Given the current situation, it is unrealistic to expect us to focus on soccer."

A time to mourn

"In light of the unimaginably difficult events that have unfolded since Saturday morning, October 7, we have decided to request a postponement of the upcoming matches to a later date next month," wrote Maccabi Haifa's CEO, Itzik Ovadia. "As the entire country mourns and stands united in defense of Israel against its enemies, it is clear that sports has become a secondary issue."

"We sincerely hope that UEFA takes our request into consideration and agrees to reschedule the matches," he added. "Our clubs are currently actively involved in community efforts to support the fighters and honor the survivors, and we have been present at numerous funerals."