More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter organised by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group urging the Republic of Ireland senior men’s team to boycott their upcoming Nations League games against Israel. The Republic of Ireland are due to play Israel on 27 September in Hungary before the reverse fixture in Serbia on 4 October.
The letter states that the Football Association of Ireland, Uefa and the Irish government should have intervened before this stage, but says there is still time to “show the power of sport to unite”. It calls the moment significant and says the players have an opportunity to do the right thing. “Putting on the Irish jersey and representing your country means something,” the letter states. “But the Ireland we want represented is the one that remembers its roots in anti-colonial and anti-imperial resistance, which Irish sport played a large part of.” It adds: “This moment symbolises something deeper, it is bigger than sport. But in a way this IS sport.” And: “Not playing the game would be the most sporting thing you could do. Through your leadership and courage, it would show the power of sport to unite, remind us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game.”
Among the signatories are Olympian Ciara Mageean, former Republic of Ireland footballer Louise Quinn, former Ireland rugby fly-half Tony Ward—who boycotted an Irish rugby tour of South Africa—and boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan. The list also includes GAA figures Padraig O’Hora, Joe Brolly, Colm O’Rourke, Michael Darragh Macauley, Philly McMahon, Valerie Mulcahy and Rena Buckley, as well as para-athlete Alan Dineen and ultimate frisbee’s Stephen Jones, who both boycotted fixtures against Israel earlier this year.
The fixtures have caused controversy. In July, the FAI’s General Assembly endorsed a motion for the Republic of Ireland to go ahead with the Nations League games against Israel, with 75 votes in favour, 32 against and three abstentions from 114 delegates. The FAI had previously said boycotting the games would cause “significant and lasting harm” to Irish football and lead to a potential loss of €10.3m (£9m).
Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has said he spoke to players in his squad individually about the prospect of facing Israel, adding that “none of us feel comfortable playing in these games”. The Nations League matches mark the Republic of Ireland’s first competitive action since their World Cup play-off semi-final heartbreak against the Czech Republic in March. Since the penalty shootout loss in Prague, they have played four friendlies, beating Grenada and Qatar and drawing with North Macedonia and Canada.