Republic of Ireland v Israel: Boycott of Israel games would cause 'significant and lasting harm'

The Republic of Ireland boycotting this autumn's games against Israel would cause "significant and lasting harm" to Irish football, as well as leading to a potential loss of €10.3m (£9m), the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) says. Following the Nations League draw in February, the FAI confirmed it would fulfill the matches, with chief executive David Courell saying the body had no choice and could face "serious consequences" if it withdrew from the games.

However, an Extraordinary General Assembly (AGE) was called when more than 10% of its members opposed the holding of Nations League games. The EGM will take place on Wednesday 8 July, although its outcome will not be binding on the FAI board. This development followed growing pressure to boycott matches after protests took place outside the Dáil (Irish parliament), while May's friendly against Qatar was twice interrupted when tennis balls bearing the Palestinian flag were thrown onto the pitch.

A campaign called 'Stop the Game' was also launched by the Irish Sport for Palestine group. A motion put forward by the FAI Council to its members states: "Recognising the strength of feeling in relation to support for Palestine and the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, that members recognize the profound impact that any failure to fulfill UEFA matches would have on Irish football as a whole and on its future development, and so endorse the Association in fulfilling its obligations in relation to these matches."

The FAI board also outlined its reasons for not boycotting games on September 27th and October 4th. "After considering all available information and the consequences of non-compliance, the board concluded that refusing to play these matches would cause significant and lasting harm to Irish football, with no indication that such action would result in any change to Israel's participation in UEFA competitions," the letter reads.


Both matches are scheduled to be played at neutral venues. Debrecen, Hungary, will host Israel's home game on October 27. The Republic of Ireland game will be played behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, Serbia, after UEFA approved a request from the FAI due to "operational issues" in holding the match in Dublin.

In the letter to members, the FAI board indicated it respected alternative views on whether matches should be played, but said a boycott "would result in UEFA disciplinary proceedings" which would include the automatic loss of six points, loss of revenue and possible disqualification from the competition. The letter also stated that not playing the matches could lead to relegation in the Nations League and affect future qualifications for World Cups and European Championships.

The FAI also estimated a financial loss of €10.3 million, which would lead to reduced investment at all levels of the game, from grassroots to top. The letter concluded by stating that a boycott would set a precedent for all other Ireland teams, men and women, across all age groups, if they were drawn against Israel. The association also stated that it would continue to represent the views of its members, as it already did when presenting a motion from its membersto the UEFA Executive Committee calling for the suspension of the Israel Football Association from UEFA competitions.

The Israeli military offensive was launched in Gaza in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were kidnapped. Since then, at least 73,035 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, including more than 21,280 children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.