Government cop-out ignores previous political precedent of international game being cancelled
The government cannot continue to hide behind the FAI when it comes to its position on the Israel-Ireland game, according to Social Democrats sports spokesperson Sinéad Gibney.
Deputy Gibney said:
“Speaking on RTÉ today, Minister of State for Sport Charlie McConalogue said it was the FAI’s decision to play the game with Israel and the government supported the FAI in making that decision.
“This is a cop out. It also ignores previous political precedent of an Irish government stepping in to stop an international soccer game when the Irish team was scheduled to play the team of a country engaged in war crimes.
“In 1999, the then Fianna Fáil government prevented a Euro 2000 qualifying match between Ireland and Yugoslavia from taking place because of Serbian atrocities in Kosovo. This was despite the fact that UEFA had turned down a request from the government to cancel the game.
“At the time, then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said: “It is not for a government to force a sporting decision on a body. But if the body refuses to make a decision, then we will have a decision to make”. The decision was directly attributed to the “unacceptable situation in Kosovo”.
“That was the position of Fianna Fáil then. However, both the Taoiseach and his party colleague, the Minister of State, are now claiming the government is powerless to act. No one is buying this.
“The government is talking out of both sides of its mouth on this issue, saying it supports the game going ahead while cabinet members announce plans to boycott it.
“This is not good enough. Israel is committing an ongoing genocide in Gaza, engaged in wholesale ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and is carpet bombing cities and villages in southern Lebanon.
“Both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have agreed that Israel is engaged in genocide. How can they say that and then advocate for this game, against the Israeli team, to proceed?
“The Dáil is in recess next week, but the Social Democrats will be challenging this government’s hypocrisy at the first available opportunity.
“This is why the party will use its private members time, on June 10, to bring forward a Dáil motion demanding the government withdraw its support for this game. I hope that, by then, the government will have changed its position.”