'To see so many people killed, murdered, it's just infinite sadness'
Former Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny says players have been put in a “terrible situation” over Israel’s continued participation in Uefa competition.
STEPHEN KENNY WANTS Uefa to show leadership by taking the decision to play Israel out of the FAI’s hands.
The former Republic of Ireland manager believes his successor, Heimir Hallgrimsson, and the Irish players have been left in a ‘terrible situation’.
And he does not understand how European football’s governing body can ban Russia from competitions following their invasion of Ukraine, but not Israel on account of their actions in Gaza.
St Pat’s manager Kenny has also backed Drogheda United chairperson Joanna Byrne after the club’s American owners asked her to resign. Byrne, in her role as Sinn Féin TD for Louth, stated that Ireland should not play in two Nations League games against Israel later this year.
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Kenny, who saw his Saints lose 2-0 away to Shamrock Rovers on Friday night, said: “You need leadership in Uefa. You can’t on one hand adapt an a la carte approach to banning Russia, who were rightly banned.
“What happened in Ukraine was horrendous. What happened in Gaza is absolutely horrific. The fact that an Irish team is subjected to that sort of scenario they are in, is not great.
“Uefa and Fifa have on the one hand banned Russia. I was manager of Ireland when we played Ukraine, an unbelievable occasion in Dublin. The FAI invited a lot of Ukrainians and there was a massive Ukrainian crowd.
“Russia invaded Ukraine and they were kicked out of Uefa competitions. So I’m not sure how the criteria is applied for that.”
Kenny added: “The (Ireland) manager and players are left in a terrible situation, one that is none of their making and I think the decision should be made at Uefa level.”
The FAI has already said it will fulfil the Israel fixtures despite submitting a motion to Uefa last November calling for Israel to be banned from international and club competitions, citing breaches of statutes.
But Kenny is hoping that leading FAI officials sit down with their other Nations League group counterparts, Austria and Kosovo, to gauge their feeling on the issue.
“I don’t know how the other teams in the group, Austria and Kosovo, feel about it or whether there is collaboration between them in relation to it,’ he said.
“Maybe the three associations should confer and should be meeting to discuss that. There should definitely be discussions at government level. It’s important that (the decision) is taken out of our hands.”
Kenny continued: “I played in Netanya with Dundalk in 2016 against Maccabi Tel Aviv, it was a completely different scenario then to now.
“To see so many people killed, murdered, it’s just infinite sadness. It is something which will forever live in the memory of everyone. It’s tragic and difficult to even find words. The loss of life in huge numbers and the manner of the loss of life, it’s unforgivable.
Kenny added: “We have people who work for the FAI, and Uefa as well. It will be interesting to see what discussions are taking place. There needs to be discussions between the countries involved, and the other countries not involved, who are leaders in Uefa regarding (a possible boycott).
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“The other countries can’t stand by unaffected, shrug their shoulders and say ‘it’s not our problem’. We were strong on the banning of Russian athletes at the Olympics, and the Russian football team and Russian (club) teams in Europe, which was only right.”
Kenny then added his voice to the growing number of rival managers in the League of Ireland backing Drogheda United chairperson Byrne. She hit out at attempts by the club’s largely American-based board to remove her for stating that Ireland should not play Israel following the Nations League draw.
Kenny added: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion for sure. The whole idea of censorship for your opinion, I’m not comfortable with that, I’m never comfortable with that. You should be able to express your personal opinion without sanctions. It’s a very complex scenario.”
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'To see so many people killed, murdered, it's just infinite sadness'
STEPHEN KENNY WANTS Uefa to show leadership by taking the decision to play Israel out of the FAI’s hands.
The former Republic of Ireland manager believes his successor, Heimir Hallgrimsson, and the Irish players have been left in a ‘terrible situation’.
And he does not understand how European football’s governing body can ban Russia from competitions following their invasion of Ukraine, but not Israel on account of their actions in Gaza.
St Pat’s manager Kenny has also backed Drogheda United chairperson Joanna Byrne after the club’s American owners asked her to resign. Byrne, in her role as Sinn Féin TD for Louth, stated that Ireland should not play in two Nations League games against Israel later this year.
Kenny, who saw his Saints lose 2-0 away to Shamrock Rovers on Friday night, said: “You need leadership in Uefa. You can’t on one hand adapt an a la carte approach to banning Russia, who were rightly banned.
“What happened in Ukraine was horrendous. What happened in Gaza is absolutely horrific. The fact that an Irish team is subjected to that sort of scenario they are in, is not great.
“Uefa and Fifa have on the one hand banned Russia. I was manager of Ireland when we played Ukraine, an unbelievable occasion in Dublin. The FAI invited a lot of Ukrainians and there was a massive Ukrainian crowd.
“Russia invaded Ukraine and they were kicked out of Uefa competitions. So I’m not sure how the criteria is applied for that.”
Kenny added: “The (Ireland) manager and players are left in a terrible situation, one that is none of their making and I think the decision should be made at Uefa level.”
The FAI has already said it will fulfil the Israel fixtures despite submitting a motion to Uefa last November calling for Israel to be banned from international and club competitions, citing breaches of statutes.
But Kenny is hoping that leading FAI officials sit down with their other Nations League group counterparts, Austria and Kosovo, to gauge their feeling on the issue.
“I don’t know how the other teams in the group, Austria and Kosovo, feel about it or whether there is collaboration between them in relation to it,’ he said.
“Maybe the three associations should confer and should be meeting to discuss that. There should definitely be discussions at government level. It’s important that (the decision) is taken out of our hands.”
Kenny continued: “I played in Netanya with Dundalk in 2016 against Maccabi Tel Aviv, it was a completely different scenario then to now.
“To see so many people killed, murdered, it’s just infinite sadness. It is something which will forever live in the memory of everyone. It’s tragic and difficult to even find words. The loss of life in huge numbers and the manner of the loss of life, it’s unforgivable.
Kenny added: “We have people who work for the FAI, and Uefa as well. It will be interesting to see what discussions are taking place. There needs to be discussions between the countries involved, and the other countries not involved, who are leaders in Uefa regarding (a possible boycott).
“The other countries can’t stand by unaffected, shrug their shoulders and say ‘it’s not our problem’. We were strong on the banning of Russian athletes at the Olympics, and the Russian football team and Russian (club) teams in Europe, which was only right.”
Kenny then added his voice to the growing number of rival managers in the League of Ireland backing Drogheda United chairperson Byrne. She hit out at attempts by the club’s largely American-based board to remove her for stating that Ireland should not play Israel following the Nations League draw.
Kenny added: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion for sure. The whole idea of censorship for your opinion, I’m not comfortable with that, I’m never comfortable with that. You should be able to express your personal opinion without sanctions. It’s a very complex scenario.”
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