| Football in Israel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Teddy Stadium, home of Israel national football team and two Israeli clubs | |
| Country | Israel |
| Governing body | Israel Football Association |
| National team(s) | Men's national team |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup (National Team) European Championship (National Team) UEFA Nations League (National Team) | |
Football (Hebrew: כַּדוּרֶגֶל, Kaduregel, lit. 'legball'), also known as soccer, is the most popular sport in Israel.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Football as an organised sport, first developed in the United Kingdom, who controlled Mandatory Palestine during the days of the British Mandate.
The Israel Football Association joined the Asian Football Confederation in 1954, but was expelled in 1974 due to political pressure from Arab and Muslim members in the context of the Arab–Israeli conflict. In the late 1970s and 1980s, the Israel Football Association was not affiliated with any confederation. During this period, the Israeli national teams were only playing in FIFA competitions occasionally in OFC, UEFA and CONMEBOL qualifying tournaments. Finally, it was admitted to UEFA as an associate member in 1992 and as a full member in 1994, therefore their teams compete as part of Europe in all international competitions.
- ^ Gross, Tom. "Tom Gross on Soccer & Israel on National Review Online". Old.nationalreview.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "FIFA asks Israel to assist Palestinian soccer - CBC Sports - Soccer". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "Israeli soccer club fans say no to Muslim players". Alarabiya.net. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ Greenberg, Joel (11 February 2013). "Soccer racism raises concern in Israel - Washington Post". Articles.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ Ackerman, Gwen (9 September 2013). "Israel-Based Football Website Is Turning Fans' Love of the Game Into a New Media Business". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "How German football is embracing Israel - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "Football in Israel, the not-so-beautiful game | The Jewish Chronicle". Thejc.com. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2013.