Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue Refuse To Attend Ireland vs Israel Matches

Two Irish sports ministers, Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue, said they will not attend the upcoming football match between Ireland and Israel, with the Republic of Ireland team due to face Israel at a neutral venue on September 27 and in Dublin on October 4.

“- Published Republic of Ireland midfielder Jamie McGrath says he expects the controversy surrounding the side's upcoming Israel fixtures to "heat up" after Thursday's friendly win over Qatar was disrupted”

BBC

Fianna Fáil TD Pádraig O’Sullivan said he attends all of Ireland’s home games but was choosing not to attend the matches with Israel “as a form of personal protest,” while both ministers said they also do not intend to attend the match.

BBC

The ministers told an Oireachtas committee that playing the matches was a matter for the FAI to decide, and McConalogue said “There’d be significant repercussions for them within the Uefa system,” which he said the FAI had to consider.

Sinéad Gibney asked whether the Government had spoken to the FAI about covering sanctions if Ireland withdrew, and McConalogue confirmed the Government had not taken legal advice about potential sanctions the FAI might face.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was also asked whether fans should “examine their conscience” before attending, and he said “we desperately need perspective on this,” adding that focusing the debate on a football match “does not do justice to the enormity or complexity of the issue.”

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said his players are “not the bad guys” amid speculation about Ireland’s fixtures with Israel later this year, arguing that it is “unfair for the players to be in this position and us to be in this position.”

Hallgrimsson challenged his squad to focus on beating Israel, insisting “I think the best answer for us is just to win this game,” and he said other decisions “are not made by us, but all the players would like to represent the country and do well for them.”

BreakingNews.ie

After the Republic of Ireland won 1-0 against Qatar at the Aviva Stadium thanks to Nathan Collins' early header, the game was twice briefly interrupted in the first half when home fans threw tennis balls featuring the Palestine flag on to the pitch.

BBC Sport NI reported that Jamie McGrath expects the controversy to “heat up,” adding that protesters were ejected from the ground after the match and that he expects more backlash before Ireland face Israel in a neutral venue on 27 September and 4 October in Dublin.

McGrath said the people protesting “have the right to do what they do, as long as it’s done in a peaceful way,” while Seamus Coleman had said the situation “should have been dealt with above us.”

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) confirmed the games will go ahead, with chief executive David Courell saying the governing body had “no choice” and could face “serious consequences” if it pulled out of the games.

“Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has said his players are ‘not the bad guys’ amid speculation about Ireland’s fixtures with Israel later this year”

Extra.ie

RTE.ie reported that the FAI could be compelled to hold an extraordinary general meeting, with a motion proposed by the Professional Footballers' Association Ireland (PFAI), Irish Football Supporters Partnership (IFSP), CK United, Cork City and Bohemian FC sent to the 145-member General Assembly.

The letter states the motion requires “10% of General Assembly members to support this call to ensure an EGM can be convened,” and it recognises that the “motion, if passed, would be non-binding and...the decision ultimately rests with the executive.”

The BBC reported that pressure has grown for a boycott of the games because of the ongoing conflict, with the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign holding a protest at the Dáil on Tuesday.

In the background of the dispute, Hallgrimsson said “Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road) becomes a formidable fortress for us,” adding that moving the match would reduce chances and that he hopes fans support the players “rather than protest or do anything that harms the national team.”