David Sneyd

CONFIRMATION THAT RTÉ are set to drastically scale back their coverage of the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League games with Israel adds another mildly uncomfortable element to the discourse surrounding an international window like no other.

And The 42 has learned that after the FAI made the decision to move their home fixture with the Israelis behind closed doors to a neutral venue rather than staging it in Dublin they were presented with a shortlist of options by Uefa.

The handful of alternatives provided by Europe’s governing body were all based in Serbia and it’s understood the opportunity to pick a venue elsewhere was not on the table.

It was only after carrying out their own logistics and security checks that the FAI opted for the TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, around 160 kilometres north of Belgrade.

The 42 revealed on Friday how a meeting of RTÉ senior management on Thursday led to the decision not to have any studio presence or use their own commentary team for the upcoming League B games on 27 September and 4 October.

Instead, a basic world feed provided by Uefa without any half-time analysis will be the sum of the coverage for both encounters.

It’s understood that RTÉ Sport reporter Tony O’Donoghue will travel to cover the fixtures but will not carry out his usual pitch-side duties.

The ongoing devastation in Gaza has led to unrest among staff in Montrose while the ‘Stop The Game’ protest group has also gathered momentum since temporarily halting May’s friendly with Qatar by throwing tennis balls on the pitch at the Aviva Stadium.

On Friday, after The 42 broke the news of RTÉ’s plan, SIPTU Deputy General Secretary Greg Ennis detailed how they formally wrote to RTÉ several weeks ago requesting they boycott showing the games with Israel.

“Our Union gives a guarded welcome to [Friday's] media reports that suggest that RTÉ will not provide normal coverage of the unwanted matches, and if they do go ahead, there will be no commentary, no panel or studio analysis.

“We have worked with our members in RTÉ to ensure their right to conscientiously object to playing any role in the sportswashing of the genocidal state was heard. We hope that these calls are now being acted upon.”

It is expected that an announcement will be formalised next week. RTÉ Head of Sport Declan McBennett is also understood to have been on holiday when the meeting of the broadcaster’s bosses took place.

As news filtered through of RTÉ’s revised plan to cover the games, there was some consternation from figures within the FAI about the decision, although there is also an acceptance that this will be an international window with a focus unlike any other before it.

Manager Heimir Hallgrímsson is due to name his squad on Thursday for the games with Kosovo, Israel and Austria. FAI director of football John Martin is carrying out a media briefing in Dublin on Monday while chief executive David Courell will do the same on Friday.

Players are due to arrive into camp next weekend, before flying to Kosovo where they will begin this Nations League campaign away in Priština. The build up to that game is likely to retain a focus primarily on football but the issue of facing Israel will continue to cast a shadow. Even attempts to gather more information from the Israeli FA have proven difficult for journalists as the association’s website is currently Geo-blocked in Ireland.

Sources have indicated that the FAI have maintained continued dialogue with Ireland players since the draw was made. Initial discussions with counterparts in the Austrian and Kosovo football associations determined that there was no appetite for any unified protest as Israel remain a member of Uefa.

This past week has also highlighted another issue with Ireland effectively being forced by Uefa to play behind closed doors in Serbia once the FAI decided the fixture could not be fulfilled in Dublin.

While the FAI were keen to make sure the game would not take place in Hungary and playing in Serbia satisfied one of their aims of making sure Israel also had to travel somewhere unfamiliar, the current political climate in the country has caused outrage after convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic was celebrated with a funeral in Belgrade.

The former army general died in a UN prison in The Hague while serving a life sentence after being found guilty of genocide by a war crimes tribunal for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

It is estimated that 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed.

Key figures from the current Serbian government, including the Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić and the Minister of Justice Nenad Vujić, joined crowds of thousands outside the church of Mladic’s funeral. The BBC also reported how his coffin had been flown to Serbia on a government plane and was carried by six soldiers and draped in flags.

This came after rival supporters from Red Star and Partizan united in support of Mladic during last weekend’s Belgrade derby. A tifo was also unveiled of Mladic with the message Direction: Potočari”, a reference to the site of a genocide.

It has led to the prospect of Ireland now playing in Serbia behind closed doors at the behest of Uefa, in a country that continues to celebrate genocide, while protests take place in Ireland about the games taking place at all because Israel are committing genocide in Gaza.

The FAI did not comment when contacted by The 42 while Uefa provided a brief statement regarding the situation which also had a link to disciplinary action taken against Red Star earlier this month.

“Kindly note that local authorities are responsible for all safety and security matters surrounding the match. We have no further comment to make at this stage.”