Uefa defend draw policy after Ireland request as Israel FA dismiss FAI comments

Uefa said on Saturday that decisions on whether national ‌teams should be kept apart in competition draws were made on a case-by-case basis and guided primarily by security ‌considerations, after the FAI said its request to avoid future pairings with Israel had been rejected.FAI ​chief executive David Courell said on Friday the body had asked Uefa if the Republic of Ireland and Israel could be separated in future draws after the teams were paired in February’s Nations League draw.Uefa said requests to stop teams ⁠being drawn against each other were considered individually.“Decisions to avoid certain teams being drawn ‌against ‌each ​other are made taking into consideration several factors, especially conditions between the two countries leading to structural risks for security,” Uefa said a statement.READ MORE“Uefa ⁠handles every situation very carefully on ​its own merits and monitors all facts and ​developments.”[ Uefa reject FAI’s request to be kept apart from Israel due to no history of ‘direct conflict’Opens in new window ]Courell told reporters the FAI had been informed that such an arrangement would not be possible ‌because Ireland and Israel had “never been in ​direct conflict”.The Israel Football Association also responded to Courell’s remarks, questioning whether a formal request ⁠had been made to Uefa.“The question should ⁠be directed at ​Uefa: was there an official inquiry or request regarding this matter, or is this merely another inconsequential statement?” IFA head of communications Shlomi Barzel told Reuters.“Since we long ago stopped getting worked up over statements detached from reality, we are focusing on high-quality professional preparations to achieve our goals on the pitch.”