Sportspeople ask ROI players to boycott Israel fixtures

Over 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter to the Irish senior men's national football team, urging them to "act collectively with conscience" and refuse to participate in their upcoming games against Israel.

The letter penned by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group calls on players to 'seize the moment' and boycott the Israel fixtures.

The letter also states the FAI, UEFA, and the government have failed the players and should never have put them in this position.

However, they feel that there is still time for the FAI and the government to act by refusing to participate in the two games against Israel.

Among the sportspeople to have openly signed the letter are rugby stars Tony Ward - who boycotted Irish rugby tour of South Africa - and Lynne Cantwell; Olympian Ciara Mageean, former soccer international Louise Quinn, boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan, and GAA personalities Padraig O'Hora, Joe Brolly, Colm O’Rourke, Michael Darragh Macauley, Philly McMahon, Valerie Mulcahy and Rena Buckley.

Para athlete Alan Dineen and ultimate frisbee's Stephen Jones have also put their name forward, having both boycotted respective fixtures against Israel earlier this year.

"This is a significant moment and with this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing," they write in the letter. "Putting on the Irish jersey and representing your country means something. But the Ireland we want represented is the one that remembers its roots in anti-colonial and anti-imperial resistance, which Irish sport played a large part of.

"This moment symbolises something deeper, it is bigger than sport. But in a way this IS sport. Not playing the game would be the most sporting thing you could do. Through your leadership and courage it would show the power of sport to unite, remind us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game."

Last week the FAI held a number of media engagements, where they once more gave their reasons for going ahead with the fixtures in Hungary and Serbia.

CEO David Courell said the association did not wish to act unilaterally and instead have been lobbying UEFA to ban Israel from international competitions.

"I believe the association has been put in a really difficult position. We are here because we were drawn out of a bowl for the qualification group, but also, it's been compounded by the association adopting a very strong position publicly and formally with UEFA."

Earlier in the week, director of football John Martin urged those opposed to the fixtures not to blame the players.

"People like me and David Courell made this decision, not the players.

"We need to protect the players and look after the players because we shouldn't find a situation where they're being criticised."

The Republic of Ireland are due to face Israel on 27 September and 4 October.