Football Association of Ireland chief executive David Courell has said Uefa rejected a request to keep the Republic of Ireland and Israel separate in future competition draws. The request followed February’s draw, which placed the two teams together. They are due to meet in Nations League fixtures on 27 September and 4 October.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Courell said Uefa’s response was clear. He said the governing body has a formal term for the mechanism, which he described as a ‘do not draw’ list, and that it is based on conflicts and direct conflicts rather than public sentiment. He said he was told it would not be possible because Ireland and Israel have never been in direct conflict, and that he took that answer at face value. Uefa has been contacted for comment.
The FAI has already confirmed arrangements for the matches. In June, it said the Republic of Ireland’s home game on 4 October would be played behind closed doors at Backa Topola in Serbia instead of Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. No tickets will be made available for Irish fans for Israel’s ‘home’ fixture in Debrecen, Hungary.
At an extraordinary general meeting in July, delegates backed an FAI motion to proceed with the games. The association had warned that boycotting would cause ‘significant and lasting harm’ to the FAI. The decision to fulfil the fixtures has nevertheless come under increasing pressure amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. A ‘Stop The Game’ campaign, launched by Irish Sport for Palestine, is calling for a boycott.
The campaign has received support from former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr and ex-player James McClean. In May, a friendly against Qatar in Dublin was disrupted when tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch.
Courell told RTE that he appreciated the ‘strength of sentiment’ among the Irish public over the games. He said the FAI had previously called on Uefa to ban Israel from European competition, and had publicly and formally called for Israel’s removal from international football. He said it was the only federation in Uefa – one of 55 – to have done so formally. But he added that at an institutional level that had not happened. ‘We wish we weren’t in this position,’ Courell said.
He said the decision rested with the FAI and that the association wanted to offer support and protection to the players. He added that the FAI had spoken to Uefa extensively over the past year. He said Uefa’s response had been consistent: it recognised the strength of the FAI’s conviction and the solidarity of the Irish people with the Palestinian plight, but also had to consider the sentiment of the other 54 nations. At that moment, he said, that sentiment was not universal.
The background to the fixtures is the conflict in the Middle East. The armed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza. The United Nations believes the retaliation has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians. Israel has regularly denied committing genocide or war crimes and has said its actions in Gaza have been justified as a means of self-defence.