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| H8ters lose out: Ireland-Israel soccer match to be played at neutral venue |
| 2026-06-13 |
| [IsraelTimes] The Republic of Ireland’s Nations League exhibition with Israel on October 4 will be held behind closed doors at a neutral venue overseas, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announces. So the Irish won’t be able to cheer their team? Consequences are a bitch. The FAI says that European soccer governing body UEFA had approved its request to hold the fixture abroad.Several pro-Palestinian Irish politicians and soccer figures have urged the federation to withdraw from the ties — there is also an away game in September — over Israel’s conduct during the Hamas-sparked war in Gaza. Last month, home fans disrupted Ireland’s friendly with World Cup participants Qatar in Dublin by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch in protest against the games with Israel. Kind of an own goal there, guys — Qatar also philosophically objects to Israel’s presence, being allied to the Muslim Brotherhood and all. So they probably would have quietly been your ally in this thing, had you not been such total asses about it. That demonstration led to renewed concerns about whether a game against Israel at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium could go ahead safely.“Following consultation with various stakeholders, the Association is of the view that operational challenges could impact on the delivery of the game on home soil, so the fixture will be played away from the Aviva Stadium,” the FAI says. Interesting. Aviva is a Jewish girl’s name, from the Hebrew word for Spring. Where did the stadium's name come from? The FAI statement also says that it is “deeply conscious of the suffering and devastation being endured by civilians in Gaza.”The FAI passed a motion in November requesting that UEFA immediately suspend Israel from international competition, but received no support from European soccer chiefs. Irish soccer bosses have since maintained that they have little choice but to play the games or risk forfeiting them and incurring other disciplinary measures “including potential disqualification from the competition.” The FAI says that forfeiting six points from their two matches against Israel could lead to relegation to League C in the Nations League and so weaken the national side’s ability to qualify for Euro 2028. Turning to other potential impacts of a boycott, the FAI said: “Beyond the sporting implications, there would be broader consequences for Irish soccer, such as reduced capacity to support clubs and leagues through critical services such as safeguarding, educational programmes, and player development opportunities.” Israel played their World Cup qualifiers in Hungary and are set to use a neutral venue for their Nations League match against Ireland on September 27. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #2 |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2026-06-13 09:12 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2026-06-13 08:55 |