Harun Nasrullah
Ireland’s opposition party Sinn Féin announced on May 30 plans to introduce a motion in the Irish parliament calling on the government to block the country’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel from taking place.
The motion will also urge the government to cover any financial penalties the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) could face if it refuses to fulfil the scheduled matches.
Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on sport, Joanna Byrne, and Dublin Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Lynn Boylan confirmed that the motion will be brought forward when Ireland’s parliament, known as the Dáil, returns from recess.
Ireland’s men’s national football team is scheduled to face Israel in UEFA Nations League matches on September 27 and October 4.
The proposal comes amid growing opposition within sections of Irish football and wider society to the matches taking place. Recent protests have highlighted the issue, including during Ireland’s friendly match against Qatar in Dublin, where supporters threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest against plans to play the fixtures.
According to reports, members of the Irish national team have also discussed issuing a statement regarding the upcoming matches.
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson recently questioned the differing treatment of Israel and Russia in international football, stating: “if Russia is banned, then I don’t see the difference why Israel shouldn’t be banned”.
Sinn Féin’s motion calls on the Irish government to support “the will of the Irish public and football community and urge for the FAI to refuse to participate in the Nations League games against Israel”.
The party argues that FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia from international football in 2022 after the football associations of Czechia, Poland and Sweden refused to play against Russian teams following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Explaining the party’s position, Byrne said it was “inconceivable that Ireland’s national team, flying under our Tricolour, could be used as a prop in Israeli sportswashing while a genocide is ongoing”.
Boylan said opposition to the fixtures extended across large sections of Irish football.
“The FAI should have acted before now. But it is not too late. It is vital that as a nation we do the right thing. The FAI must listen to the Irish football community,” she said.
The motion urges the government to support calls from within Irish football for the FAI to withdraw from the matches against Israel on both legal and moral grounds. It also seeks a commitment from the government to cover any financial sanctions imposed on the FAI as a result.
In addition, the proposal calls on the government to deny entry to Ireland to Israeli football players, staff, officials and supporters who have participated in violations of international law.
The motion is expected to be debated when the Dáil reconvenes, adding to an increasingly prominent public and political debate in Ireland over sporting relations with Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
