The FAI\u2019s request for the Republic of Ireland\u2019s home fixture against Israel in the UEFA Nations League to be moved to a neutral venue does not change the fact that the game should not be played in the first place, according to Social Democrats TD Sin\u00e9ad Gibney.<\/p>\n
Deputy Gibney, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on sport, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cMoving the fixture to another country, possibly Hungary, is an attempt to brush this controversy under the rug and will deny people in Ireland an opportunity to engage in peaceful protest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s at stake here is far bigger than a football match. Israel is engaged in a genocide in Palestine and ethnic cleansing in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland should not be facilitating the sportswashing of a rogue nation which has been committing war crimes for nearly three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am also very concerned about the pressure that this decision will put on the players, and I would again appeal to the Government and the FAI to intervene.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Social Democrats will be proceeding with a D\u00e1il motion on Wednesday, which calls on the Government to advocate, at national and international level, for Israel to be excluded from all sporting competitions as long as the genocide and illegal occupation of Palestinian territory continues. In doing so, it must also support Irish sporting bodies in boycotting fixtures, events and competitions where Israel is participating.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FAI board\u2019s decision to seek UEFA approval for the home game to be moved abroad will not address the moral and ethical issues of our national team lining up opposite an Israeli side in the name of sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement changes nothing and will only amplify calls for a complete boycott of this fixture by Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
June 8, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The FAI\u2019s request for the Republic of Ireland\u2019s home fixture against Israel in the UEFA Nations League to be moved to a neutral venue does not change the fact that the game should not be played in the first place, according to Social Democrats TD Sin\u00e9ad Gibney. Deputy Gibney, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[529,718,7,497,854],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaza","category-israel","category-press-release","category-sinead-gibney","category-sport"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n