Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has urged the FAI to withdraw from the UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel and said that “Israel should be given the red card”.
Ireland have been placed in Group B3 alongside Kosovo, Israel and Austria, reports RTE.
The two encounters between Ireland and Israel are scheduled for next September and October.
The away match is set for 27 September, with the return fixture in Dublin fixed for 4 October, reports RTE.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Football Association of Ireland confirmed it plans to honour the scheduled games.
Last year, the FAI approved a motion to ask UEFA to suspend Israel from European competitions, reports RTE.
The association has not yet decided whether the October match will be held in Dublin or moved to a neutral venue, and that determination does not need to be made until 120 days before the fixture.
Ms McDonald said the FAI had been placed in a “very difficult position with this draw”, reports RTE.
However, she said “the truth is that these matches should not and cannot go ahead”,
“We are all aware that UEFA is allowing Israel to compete in competition, even though they are breaking every rule in the book, reports RTE.
“Israel is engaging in genocidal actions in Gaza and Ireland has to take a stand. There’s only one correct thing to do here, and that is not to host or not to participate in these games,” Ms McDonald said.
“Israel should be given the red card. That should be absolutely clear, and Ireland should be to the forefront in confronting them for their actions, their genocidal actions in Palestine, not giving them any comfort whatsoever,” she said, reports RTE.
Ms McDonald also urged broadcasters to refrain from covering the fixtures should they proceed.
“I’m calling on the FAI to boycott the matches, not to give cover to genocidal Israel, and I’m calling on broadcasters similarly, not to broadcast those matches, reports RTE.
“Israel needs to get the message loud and clear. Netanyahu needs to hear loud and clear that we are calling it, calling genocide, and there is nowhere for him to hide … we will not be acquiescent in that in any way,” she added.
Ms McDonald said she does not agree with the Government’s position on the matter, reports RTE.
“I’m alarmed, frankly, that the reflex of the government and the Taoiseach was simply to give a Bible to Israel,” she said.
Yesterday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the matches should proceed and that the FAI had taken the right step in confirming the fixtures would be honoured, reports RTE.
Mr Martin stated that the location of the away leg was an issue for football authorities to determine.
He said Ireland’s security officials would evaluate safety arrangements for the home fixture well in advance to ensure it could be staged “in a secure environment”, reports RTE.
“It should go ahead, and I think the FAI has taken the correct decision to fulfil the fixture,” Mr Martin added.
‘Outrageous’ that Taoiseach said game should go ahead – Richard Boyd Barrett, reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1 Saturday with Cormac Ó hEadhra, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said UEFA was ignoring its own rules, noting that Russia had been expelled from competition over the war in Ukraine while Israel has not faced similar treatment.
He said the Government had failed to introduce any sanctions against Israel since the Middle East conflict intensified, reports RTE.
“It was really outrageous that Micheál Martin said that the game should go ahead, reports RTE.
Appearing on the same programme, Minister of State Marian Harkin said that the intersection of politics and sport creates difficulties and acknowledged what she described as double standards, but added that the decision rests with the FAI.
She said that if the choice were hers, she would not support the game going ahead and would personally not attend, reports RTE.
She added that the situation is neither simple nor clear-cut and that Ireland has demonstrated its support for Palestinians.
Sinn Féin TD Conor D McGuinness said Israel should not be participating in the competition and that Ireland should refuse to play the fixture, instead moving forward with the Occupied Territories Bill, reports RTE.
He said a sporting and cultural boycott of Israel should remain in place until it complies with international law.
He added that ‘it beggars’ belief that the Taoiseach said the matches should go ahead. He said that Mr Martin was “behind the curve” and “utterly wrong on this”.
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