Ireland v Israel moving closer to neutral venue as FAI board meet again
Last week's Ireland v Qatar game was interrupted by protesters throwing tennis balls emblazoned with Stop The Game onto the Lansdowne Road pitch. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
The FAI are expected to confirm the switch of their home game against Israel to a neutral country following a board meeting on Thursday.
Pressure has grown on the association to move the October 4 game out of Dublin and, ahead of a Dáil motion by Sinn Féin on Tuesday calling for the Government to support a boycott, they’ve decided to act.
While the FAI will have to compensate 30,000 season ticket holders, the feeling is additional sales will be sluggish for a fixture which public sentiment has grown against.
The Stop The Game campaign, with support from Brian Kerr, Pico Lopes and James McClean, last week lodged a motion that is due to be voted on at an upcoming emergency general meeting of the FAI.
Last week’s men’s friendly against Qatar was interrupted twice by protesters throwing tennis balls, emblazoned with Stop The Game, onto the Lansdowne Road pitch.
On the eve of the game, Ireland defender Séamus Coleman spoke of how an ‘uncomfortable’ situation for players should have been ‘dealt with’ by the FAI and Uefa since the draw was made in February.
Another player, Jamie McGrath, also admitted he would consult with his family before deciding whether to participate.
The FAI board met last Thursday to consider the EGM motion and convened again remotely to discuss the matter further.
It is now anticipated that they will update Sports Minister Charlie McConalogue ahead of him speaking during the motion’s debate on Tuesday.
Similar to Israel’s home fixture against Ireland on September 28, also in Hungary, the games will be behind closed doors, inaccessible to fans.
The EGM motion to boycott both fixtures will proceed but a positive outcome of the ballot is non-binding on the FAI’s board and executive.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the FAI said: "In response to the high volume of media queries related to the topic of our upcoming Uefa Nations League fixtures versus Israel, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) can confirm that the Board of the FAI continue to meet to discuss the operational aspects of hosting the home fixture, alongside ongoing discussions with Uefa.
"The FAI will not be releasing a statement on any decision on this matter until after the Board Meeting scheduled for June 11th, due to the hugely significant game taking place on Tuesday for our Ireland women’s national team, where a victory against France will secure direct qualification for a second successive Fifa Women’s World Cup, which would be a landmark moment for the team and Irish sport.
"The association reiterates that it is the responsibility of the board of the FAI to protect the future interests of football in Ireland. Any decision around the game is solely a matter for the association."
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