Should Switzerland now play for European Championship qualification in Cyprus?: Five important questions about the Nati match against Israel

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

That is very unlikely. Israel has declared a state of war. Public life is at a standstill. Don’t think about football in the coming days. The Israeli league ha’Al is no longer playing for the time being. Tel Aviv is 400 km away from the escalation in the Gaza Strip, but the Israeli metropolis has also been the target of rocket attacks since the Hamas offensive.

The Swiss Football Association is very affected by the latest development: “It is with great regret that we learned of the situation in Israel and the rocket attacks.” Since then, the SFV has maintained close contact with UEFA and the EDA. Swiss also plays a key role in this, because it has suspended all flights to Israel until Monday. “Given the current situation, it is very difficult for us to imagine flying to Israel on Tuesday,” said SFV media director Adrian Arnold.

The European Football Association is under pressure. Giorgio Marchetti, head of competition matches, must make a decision on Monday about the next step. As an alternative to Tel Aviv, Switzerland itself would be a possible location. But that would be a disadvantage for Israel. There is a good chance that the event will take place on neutral ground. However, the logistical challenge is complex. Within a short time, associations, governments, stadium managers and television will have to be extremely flexible. In the past, Cyprus presented itself as the best solution. The Apoel Nicosia Stadium hosted Israeli clubs in the European competition in 2002. In 2013/14, the GSP Stadium served as the venue for Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League – due to the unrest in the Ukrainian capital.

The schedule in international football is so tight that there is hardly any room for postponement of a match. The draw for the semi-finals of the play-offs will be on November 23 (from March 21, 2024). All group games should be completed by then. However, there is a period in the autumn, when Switzerland plays Kosovo in Basel on November 18 and Romania in Bucharest on November 21. In the training week for these last two European Championship qualifiers, Israel could be played on November 15. But this requires a concession from the SFV. Murat Yakin’s team should board a plane to Israel or Cyprus on the second day of the meeting.

About 150 Swiss supporters registered for the match in Israel via Travelclub. If the game is postponed, the SFV travel partner will look for a new solution for all passengers. Swiss would cover the costs of a flight cancellation. The conditions for a possible rebooking are still open. If the match takes place in Cyprus next Thursday, it will probably be played as a ghost match. If the meeting is postponed until November, it could theoretically take place with fans. The best example is Shakhtar Donetsk: since the Russian war of aggression, the Ukrainian club has been playing its home games in the Champions League in Warsaw and Hamburg in front of an audience.

Source : Blick