Football
Associated Press 18y

Israeli soccer teams must play at neutral venues

JERUSALEM -- Israel lost its appeal of a decision by
European soccer's governing body that ordered two Israeli teams to
play UEFA Cup games outside the country because of the ongoing
violence.

The Israel Football Association had appealed to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport, world sport's highest tribunal. The appeal
to the Swiss court was rejected because safety concerns raised by
Israel's fighting with Hezbollah and Palestinian militants.

Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC will now play its home game against Domzale
of Slovenia in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv
will switch its home game against Lokomotiv Sofia of Bulgaria to
Bratislava, Slovakia.

Both UEFA Cup games are Thursday.

"In view of the circumstances there is no room to grant the
requested injunction which would cancel UEFA's decision," the
court said, according to the Israeli soccer federation Saturday.

UEFA is also to decide Monday whether Maccabi Haifa will play in
Israel against Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions League
third qualifying-round series Aug. 22. Liverpool is home for the
first leg Aug. 9, and coach Rafa Benitez has said it was "totally
unacceptable" to travel to Israel.

The panel also will decide whether to allow Israeli club Betar
Jerusalem to host Romania's Dinamo Bucharest in a second-leg UEFA
Cup game Aug. 24.

Between October 2001 and April 2004, all of Israel's home games
in FIFA and UEFA-sanctioned tournaments were played outside the
country, though a handful of international exhibitions were played
in Israel.

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