Israel appeals UEFA home-match ban

The Israeli FA petitioned the Court for Arbitration in Sport Wednesday in an effort to reinstate two UEFA Cup ties to Israel.

UEFA had ruled that they should be played at neutral venues for security reasons.

"The IFA ordered its deputy CEO, Ori Shilo to lodge the appeal with the Court for Arbitration in Sport following UEFA's Emergency Panel meeting which took place earlier on Wednesday," an IFA press release read.

UEFA told the IFA earlier that Israel would not be allowed to host UEFA Cup second qualifying round first-leg matches, which must instead be staged in a neutral country due to the security situation in the region.

Israel entered Lebanon after guerrilla group Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in a cross-border raid on July 12. Hizbollah has fired roughly 2,000 rockets into Israel.

Hapoel Tel Aviv is due to play a home contest against NK Domzale of Slovenia on Aug. 8, while Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv is scheduled to host Bulgaria 's Lokomotiv Sofia on Aug. 10.

Hapoel Tel Aviv nominated two venues in the Netherlands as an alternative to their home ground. Bnei Yehuda have named Kiev's Olympiyskiy stadium in Ukraine as the likely neutral site.

UEFA said it would make a decision next Monday on Maccabi Haifa's Champions League third qualifying round home leg with Liverpool, set for Aug. 22 or 23, and Beitar Jerusalem's UEFA Cup second qualifying round matcg with Dinamo Bucharest on Aug. 24.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.