The Israel Football Association (IFA) announced Thursday morning that it signed a cooperation agreement with South American soccer confederation CONMEBOL, opening the door for the Israeli national team to feature in the Copa America and other continental tournaments in the future.
The signing of the cooperation agreement was facilitated by CONMEBOL President and FIFA Vice President Alejandro Dominguez, who was a guest of the IFA in Israel in September 2023. During his visit, the country’s top soccer officials, as well as President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Zuarez (left) and Dominguez sign a memorandum of understanding
(Photo: Israel Football Association)
IFA Chairman Shino Zuarez and Director-General Niv Goldstein were invited to the CONMEBOL Congress in Asunción, Paraguay where they held personal meetings with representatives of all member associations within the confederation and discussed a series of future collaborations before signing the agreement.
According to a statement, the IFA and CONMEBOL signed a memorandum of understanding encompassing cooperation across various fields such as coach development and training, officiating, women's soccer, youth and children's soccer, sharing professional knowledge in fields of medicine, technology, marketing and communications, friendly matches between different national teams and clubs from the member associations and even the possibility of including the Israeli national team in tournaments organized by CONMEBOL, including the prestigious Copa America.
The Copa America features 10 CONMEBOL members and two guest teams. Typically, guest teams are invited from the CONCACAF Confederation, which represents North-Central America. However, the last tournament included Qatar. The upcoming Copa America will be held in the summer in the U.S. and will feature 16 teams: the 10 regulars plus six from CONCACAF.
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Zuarez (left) and Dominguez sign a memorandum of understanding
(Photo: Israel Football Association)
Zuarez and Goldstein held another meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, along with FIFA CEO Matias Grafstrom, during which they discussed the upcoming FIFA Congress to be held in May in Bangkok and how FIFA will assist the IFA in developing the sport nationally and internationally.
Zuarez and Goldstein also attended an official dinner with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and joined him in laying the cornerstone for a local soccer center in the city of Luque, alongside former players, CONMEBOL legends including the former Brazilian captain, Dunga, among others.