Israeli government orders review after national football team slips below Palestine in world rankings

Two years ago Ms Regev and Ofer Eini, the chairman of the Israel Football Association (IFA), announced their intention to establish a committee to investigate the causes of Israel’s chronic shortcomings although it never actually convened.

The country has failed to qualify for every major tournament since 1970 despite boasting a number of Premier League players in recent years, such as Yossi Benayoun and Tal Ben Haim.

Ms Regev, who made international headlines in May when she wore a dress printed with the Jerusalem skyline at the Cannes film festival, angered IFA officials by failing to inform them in advance of her announcement.

She said: “Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and in Israel and it should be a source of national pride.

“Soccer receives the biggest budget of all sports, but unfortunately the national team hasn’t qualified for a major tournament in 47 years.

“Due to the current crisis, which can be seen in the resounding failure in the latest campaign and the drop in the FIFA rankings, there is an immediate need to examine the reasons for failure.”