Minister of State with Responsibility for Sport Charlie McConalogue has said the Government fully backs the FAI’s decision to participate in the forthcoming soccer internationals against Israel.
His remarks came as opposition parties prepared to use their Dáil time to call on the Government to support a boycott of the fixtures, reports RTE.
The Republic of Ireland are due to face Israel in the Nations League on 27 September at a neutral venue.
They are also scheduled to host the Israeli team at the Aviva Stadium on 4 October, reports RTE.
That fixture has come under renewed pressure after supporters threw tennis balls bearing the Palestinian flag onto the pitch during Thursday’s match against Qatar.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, Mr McConalogue said the FAI had made a decision to participate in and host the fixtures, and the Government must support and respect that, reports RTE.
He said the FAI had found themselves “in a very challenging position.”
“The FAI have to make a decision, in relation to partaking in the matches, they’ve made that decision, we as a Government support that decision, they’re right to make it. I think it’s important we respect that decision that they’ve made from a political point of view,” he added, reports RTE.
Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats are to bring forward separate Dáil motions this week calling on the Government to back a boycott of the games on legal and moral grounds.
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The Sinn Féin motion, to be brought forward on 9 June, calls on the Government to “support calls from the Irish football community, which include the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland and Irish Football Supporters Partnership, for the FAI to refuse to participate in the proposed matches against Israel, scheduled for 27 September and 4 October in protest on legal and moral grounds,” reports RTE.
The Social Democrats will use its Private Members’ time to bring forward a similar motion on 10 June.
The FAI has previously stated it must fulfil the fixtures, with a six-point deduction and financial penalty likely should Ireland forfeit the games, reports RTE.
Any deduction would severely damage Ireland’s prospects of qualifying for Euro 2028.
It was confirmed on Friday that the FAI is to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on the issue, reports RTE.
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said the Government “needed to take a leadership role” on the issue, adding it was not fair for pressure to fall on the players themselves.
“This is a place they can show leadership, support the players, support the FAI, but we can show leadership here,” she said, adding that: “There are some places where you can bring political pressure, and this is one of them,” reports RTE.
Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane said he would not be attending the game, and that it should not be going ahead in the first place.
Referencing the potential fines and loss of points, Mr Cullinane said: “Six points versus genocide, and soccer players and supporters in Gaza who were killed, sports grounds levelled in Gaza, a bit of perspective,” reports RTE.
Mr McConalogue said the place for the Government to lead was “not through a sports match but through the political arena,” which he said they were doing by enacting the Occupied Territories Bill by July.
Shane Moore of the “Stop the Game” campaign said nothing less than a complete boycott of the Israel fixtures should be acceptable, and that moving the game outside of Ireland would not satisfy those who had protested, reports RTE.
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