Continued calls for boycott of Ireland-Israel football fixtures
Ireland is due to face Israel in controversial fixtures behind closed doors on Sunday and one week later on October 4.
There have been continued calls for the Republic of Ireland’s men’s international football team to boycott a fixture against Israel this weekend.
Ireland is due to face Israel in controversial fixtures behind closed doors on Sunday and one week later on October 4 as part of the Uefa Nations League.
Campaigners and some opposition politicians had called for an overall boycott of both fixtures.
However, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said it faced disciplinary measures, including potential disqualification from the competition, if it refused to take part in the matches.
It said these measures could impact on Ireland’s Uefa and Fifa rankings, which could affect future qualification for European Championships and World Cups.
The first match against Israel, Ireland’s away game, is scheduled to take place at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary while the second leg will be held in Serbia.
The squad is set to discuss its approach to the fixtures following its defeat to Kosovo in Thursday’s opening match in the group.
There has been pressure on the association not to follow through on the matches, with a “Stop The Game” campaign organising protests in Dublin.
Social Democrats TD (MP) Daniel Ennis, Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne, and Labour MEP Aodhan Ó Riordáin were among those calling for a boycott on Friday.
Mr Ennis said: “Some things are bigger than sport. What is six points in the face of mass murder? What is six points in the context of ethnic cleansing? What is six points in the middle of a genocide?
“A six-point deduction is recoverable. A dead child is not. Tens of thousands of dead Palestinians are not.”
Ms Byrne said: “The overwhelming majority of Irish people find it unconscionable the prospect of seeing Ireland, playing under our tricolour, complicit in sportswashing a country carrying out a genocide and the suppression of an entire people.
“The FAI seem hell-bent on proceeding with these games. Their eyes are wide open but they are looking the other way.”
Mr Ó Ríordáin called for Israel’s exclusion from international football and said: “Fifa and Uefa have failed to act, despite calls for Israel’s suspension from international football.
“That failure has put Ireland’s players in an impossible position. They should never have had to face this choice.”
Trade union Siptu there were “serious security, reputational and emotional issues” surrounding the games as it expressed concern for player welfare.
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said last week that many of his squad were uncomfortable about taking part in the game, adding: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide.”
Those comments drew a furious response from the Israel Football Association, which accused Hallgrimsson of “hypocrisy and stupidity”.
Midfielder Jason Knight said he does not believe the game against Israel on Sunday should go ahead.
This week, campaigners stepped up their bid to convince the team to boycott the game, with a group gathering outside the team’s hotel in Dublin on Monday evening.
More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter issued by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group urging the Football Association of Ireland to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the fixture.