Sinn Féin plans Dáil motion demanding boycott of Ireland-Israel football fixtures

Sinn Féin is to bring forward a motion calling on the Government to stop the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League games against Israel scheduled for later this year.

The motion calls on the Government to cover any financial penalty the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) would face for not going ahead with the fixtures.

Joanna Byrne, Sinn Féin spokesperson on sport, and Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan announced in a statement that the party would move the motion when the Dáil returned from recess on Tuesday.

Ireland’s men’s football team are scheduled to play Israel on September 27th and October 4th in the Uefa Nations League.

The Irish Times reported on Saturday how players had discussed releasing a statement on the Nations League matches against Israel in response to the growing number of protests within the Irish football community against the games going ahead.

A friendly match against Qatar at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday was interrupted by fans throwing tennis balls on the pitch in a protest against the apparent plan to fulfil the fixtures.

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson said last week that “if Russia is banned, then I don’t see the difference why Israel shouldn’t be banned”.

Sinn Féin’s motion calls on the 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”.

It said Fifa and Uefa banned Russia in 2022 following the decision of Czechia’s, Poland’s and Sweden’s football associations to refuse to play Russia in the international competition.

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 the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland, the unions and the “vast majority” of Irish football fans did not want these matches to go ahead.

“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 the Irish football community for the FAI to refuse to participate in the matches against Israel on legal and moral grounds. It also wants the Government to agree to cover any financial penalty the FAI would face for doing so.

It calls on the Government to deny entry into Ireland of any Israeli football players and staff, Israeli officials and Israeli fans who have participated in violations of international law.

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