Ireland Hopes to Leverage UEFA Precedent in Renewed Calls to Ban Israel from Competitions
The UEFA decision to boycott FIFA competitions over plans to sell World Cup stakes has sparked renewed calls in Ireland to cancel Nations League matches against Israel.
The UEFA decision to boycott FIFA competitions if Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors goes ahead has sparked renewed calls in Ireland to also cancel the matches against the Israeli national team in the Nations League.
In a sharp column published in the "Irish Mirror," it was argued that the European announcement is "the best news the Irish Football Association has received in a long time," because it proves that boycotting matches and competitions can become a legitimate tool when a football organization refuses to change its ways.
"UEFA rightly told FIFA to push its plan to sell part of the World Cup and other competitions to private investors," the column wrote. "All 55 countries gave the green light to the announcement that no UEFA team will participate in a FIFA competition as long as these proposals remain alive. And they are right. Sometimes a boycott is the only way to force change."
From there, the author moved to the Irish Football Association, which has been under heavy public pressure in recent months following its decision to hold the Nations League matches against Israel. According to him, the demonstrations and protests stem from the anger in Ireland over the war in Gaza and developments in the West Bank.
The column also explicitly called for Israel to be banned from international competitions, arguing that FIFA and UEFA should have done so themselves. "Israel should not be participating in international competitions right now. If UEFA and FIFA were acting according to their own rulebooks, they would have removed it," it was written.
Alongside the criticism, a measure of understanding was expressed toward the heads of the Irish Football Association, David Correll and Paul Cook, who, according to the column, were left to deal with the crisis alone after not receiving backing from UEFA, FIFA, or the Irish government. However, according to the author, the UEFA decision now changes the picture.
"UEFA has given them a lifeline," it was claimed. "After giving the green light to a boycott, it can no longer hold over the Irish Football Association the threat of sanctions for doing the same. David Correll and Paul Cook, it is time to do the right thing. It is time to follow UEFA's lead and stop the games."
The calls come after the Irish Football Association had already decided to move the home match against Israel, which was scheduled to be held on September 27 at the Aviva Stadium, to Backa Topola in Serbia. However, even that did not bring an end to the campaign. The "Stop The Game" organizers warned that the protests might also move to the match against Austria on October 1, which will be held between the two meetings with Israel. According to them, transport, hospitality, and broadcasting services might also encounter difficulties if employees refuse to participate in producing the events.
Deputy General Secretary of the SIPTU trade union, Greg Ennis, said: "I think there will be a very difficult situation in Dublin if the first match takes place. In my opinion, there will be a serious industrial question regarding transport, hospitality, broadcasting, and so on. I see the protests escalating significantly. If the matches against Israel are stopped, this will no longer be an issue."
Ennis reiterated the union's commitment to support any worker who refuses on grounds of conscience to take part in hosting the matches. "When an attempt is made to use sport to whitewash genocide, workers have the right to act according to their conscience and not suffer from disciplinary measures or harm due to a position supported by the majority of the Irish public," he said.
Former Ireland national team manager Brian Kerr also joined the criticism and expressed regret that he had previously led Irish teams to matches in Israel. "I think about my moral conscience and the fact that I was happy to go to Israel with the youth teams in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001," he said. "It was the beginning of sportswashing and I didn't understand it. Now I feel guilty that I wasn't aware enough of what is happening. It doesn't really matter. The six points don't matter. If we win two games, go up or go down - it doesn't matter compared to what is happening now in Palestine and the West Bank."
