Public calling for Ireland to boycott game against Israel
Michael Bolton
Members of the public have contacted the Department of Sport, calling for the UEFA Nations League game against Israel to be boycotted.
The Republic of Ireland are set to face Israel in the Aviva Stadium on October 4th, while the sides will face each other a few days earlier, where the game will be hosted in an unclear.
Documents seen by BreakingNews.ie show that in emails to the Department of Sport, members of the public questioned why Israel has not been boycotted in football for their military actions in Gaza, and compared it to the situation with Russia, which has been boycotted since the war in Ukraine started.
One email said: "You are the minister for sport, please intervene in the FAI decision to play Israel. You don't allow Russia, why Israel, whose genocide has killed more than the Russia-Ukraine conflict?"
Another person said: "Ireland has a proud history of standing against injustice, most notably during the South African Apartheid
era. Today, the world looks to us again.
"By participating in these games, we risk providing a veneer of normalcy to a state under investigation for the most serious of international crimes.
"The FAI may fear UEFA sanctions, but these are bureaucratic inconveniences that pale in comparison to the moral weight of this situation."
Minister for Sport Patrick O'Donovan came in for criticism for his comments at the time this fixture was announced.
O'Donovan was at Oriel Park when Dundalk's clash against rivals Drogheda made headlines for Drogheda United fans throwing flares onto Dundalk's newly relaid artificial pitch.
As a result, he asked the department to pause all astroturf investments into clubs until he gets a "sufficient response" from the FAI and League of Ireland
In response, one person emailed the Department saying: "Mr O'Donavan is threatening a de facto sanction on Irish football clubs for the mindless idiocy of a few soccer hooligans.
"He has no problem in targeting the honest, decent football fan or the hard-working clubs and their staff, but has no problem in rolling out the red carpet for a nation involved in a genocide.
"This says everything we need to know about where this government stands on Palestine and Palestinian lives. Total disregard for the lives of these people.
"You stand with the oppressor, you stand with those committing Genocide. Your actions and not your words show this to be the case."
Another person referenced the number of Palestinian footballers killed by Israel since 2023.
"Israel football authorities systematically exclude Arab players from national teams, reflecting a broader policy of racial discrimination.
"Additionally, many Israeli clubs train and play in stadiums located on occupied Palestinian territories, in direct breach of UEFA and FIFA rules prohibiting sporting activities on occupied land.
"Furthermore, Israeli forces have killed Palestinian athletes, including football players, many of them children, and deliberately destroyed Palestinian football stadiums and sports infrastructure."
The FAI has confirmed that the two games would go ahead and has since confirmed in a letter to members that legal experts have backed that stance.
