Non-footballing nation? Are you referring to Israel? As far as I know, football is the most popular sport there. They have a small population compared to Italy, but that gap is slowly becoming smaller and demographics are better on the Israeli side. Israel do have reputed football clubs such as Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv, and they are one of the core members of the UEFA confederation. At least I would say that Israel is not a minnow like Malta or Liechtenstein.