A protest was held outside Croke Park yesterday in relation to the matter. Tom O’Hanlon/INPHO

Open letter signed by players calls on GAA to end sponsorship deal with Allianz

Insurance company says its business decisions are guided by ‘strict legal standards and world-leading ESG principles’.

AN OPEN LETTER was presented to the GAA yesterday at a protest outside Croke Park, calling on the association to end its sponsorship arrangements with insurance company Allianz.

It’s reported that over 800 current and former GAA players have signed the letter due to links between Allianz and Israel.

A report published on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN listed Allianz among companies and corporations that was buying Israeli treasury bonds, which, the report argues, play a “critical role in funding the ongoing assault on Gaza”.    

The report was written by UN special rapporteur (independent human rights expert) on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese.

The 42 contacted the GAA for comment but did not receive a response at time of publication.

Allianz, in a statement to The 42, said: “Our long-standing partnership with the GAA is about supporting Irish sport and communities.

“Allianz Ireland is part of a global group, and while the wider group operates internationally across insurance and investment, as a matter of principle we do not comment on individual customers or business matters.

“What we can say is that all Allianz business decisions are guided by strict legal standards and world-leading ESG principles.”

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