LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

ACTIVISTS HAVE VISITED Leinster House today to rally support for a boycott of the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel, ahead of a Sinn Féin motion on the issue tonight.

The Sinn Féin motion calls for the upcoming Uefa Nations League fixtures against Israel not to proceed. It is being opposed by the government. 

Two of the organisers behind the ‘Stop The Game’ campaign – former Ireland international basketball player Rebecca O’Keeffe and Chief Commercial Officer at Bohemian FC, Daniel Lambert – spoke to members of the Oireachtas this afternoon following an invitation from Sinn Féin. 

The upcoming fixtures have come into sharp political focus this week, with Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats both tabling motions in the Dáil calling for the matches not to go ahead.

Former Ireland international basketball player Rebecca O’Keeffe and Chief Commercial Officer at Bohemian FC, Daniel Lambert. The Journal The Journal

The Republic of Ireland’s men’s soccer team is due to face Israel in the Uefa Nations League at a neutral venue on 27 September before a return game in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 4 October.

In response to reports on Monday that the home fixture will be moved outside of Ireland, both parties made clear that changing the venue was not enough, and the match should not be played at all.

Speaking today, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said: “We will not tolerate the green jersey against Israel, not here, not in Hungary, not anywhere.” 

O’Keeffe and Lambert both argued today that moving the match to Hungary was “the worst option” and a side step of responsibility from the FAI.

The Stop the Game campaign maintains that moving the game outside of Ireland simply removes the right of fans to protest.

The campaign has issued a pre-action legal letter for judicial review to the FAI, Sport Ireland, the Minister for Sport and the Minister for Justice over their “collective failure” to declare the fixtures unlawful and stop them from going ahead.

The letter issued through Phoenix Law solicitor Darragh Mackin raises a number of legal arguments and requests a response within 21 days or the campaign will seek a full judicial review.

Polling by Ireland Thinks, commissioned by Irish Sport for Palestine, has shown that 56% of people now believe the fixture should be boycotted. 

Of the 1,626 people surveyed, 36% believe the match should go ahead, while 8% do not know. The poll has a margin of error of 2.5%.

It comes as Tánaiste Simon Harris on Monday evening urged the FAI to “bring clarity” over the home fixture.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said it was “not an ideal situation either way” and called on Fifa to “deal with this more comprehensively”.

The comments came after the football association said its board was continuing to meet to “discuss the operational aspects” of hosting the men’s international Nations League football fixture, which is due to be played in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 4 October.

The FAI said it was also engaging with European football’s governing body Uefa on the issue, with a further statement set to be issued after the board meets again on Thursday.

Up until now, the FAI has said it has no choice but to play the games, adding that a boycott “would lead to the forfeiture of six points” and could lead to relegation of the team to League C of the Nations League.

Speaking on his way into cabinet this morning, Martin said it was an “exceptional situation” due to the conflict in the Middle East and added that “we don’t want sport embroiled in political situations”.

“Fifa really should determine and deal with these issues, because it’s putting countries involved under a lot of pressure, and the players under a lot of pressure, given what is happening, but there’s a real concern that if the Irish team doesn’t fulfil the fixture, that you damage Irish football for some time to come, and that’s not a good outcome either,” he said.

“In many respects, it’s not an ideal situation either way, and I think Fifa needs to deal with this more comprehensively than it has to date.”

Speaking on Virgin Media’s Monday With Gavan Reilly programme on Monday night, Harris said the decision was neither a matter for the players nor for the government, but for the FAI.

“This is nothing to do with the players, and there should be no pressure applied to the players who play with distinction wearing our national jersey – let’s all agree on that,” he said.

“Secondly, though, it’s not a matter for the government. And that’s not just my view, it’s a legal, factual view. The FAI board, as recently as this evening, and their statement … have made it very clear that it is a matter solely for the FAI.”

He said that while parties can table motions in the Dáil, that will not have any impact. 

“What will, though, is a decision by the FAI board, and I really encourage the FAI to come to that decision this week to bring clarity to the matter. This shouldn’t drag on and on. So, I hope this week will, for once and for all, see clarity in relation to this.”

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Tuesday morning, Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne said there is “absolutely” a role for the government to play in the matter.

“It has become abundantly clear… that the Irish people do not want Ireland playing Israel, while the Palestinian people continue to endure genocide, occupation and apartheid,” Byrne said.

“Our motion this evening calls on the government to support the demands of the Irish footballing community to completely stop the game. Not to move it, but to stop it.”

She described the minister for sport’s statement that he would attend the game if it goes ahead as “weak” and added that while the FAI might face financial implications for boycotting the game, Sinn Féin’s motion calls on government to cover the cost of any penalty the body may incur. 

With additional reporting from PA and Jane Matthews

Written by Jane Moore and posted on TheJournal.ie