'No motion for boycott will overturn Israel fixture decision', says FAI CEO David Courell

FAI chief executive officer David Courell, right. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

No motion for a boycott from the FAI membership will overturn the decision for Ireland to face Israel, according to chief executive David Courell.

Ireland were recently grouped with Israel in the Nations League just four months after the General Assembly voted by a 93% majority to seek suspension of the country’s national and club teams from Uefa competitions.

This was based on a UN Commission of Inquiry report finding that said Israel had committed genocide during the war in Gaza as well as two breaches of Uefa statutes.

As Uefa haven’t replicated their suspension of Russia, it was left to each member to adopt a position and the FAI have faced pressure to withdraw from the games in the Autumn.

They’ve resisted those calls and intend proceeding with the matches, away in neutral territory on September 27 before hosting at Lansdowne Road a week later, October 4.

Clearance by An Garda Síochána was integral to avoiding the ‘home’ match also being taken out of Ireland, as Belgium were forced to do last year due to security concerns.

Disgruntled members of the 145-strong General Assembly are entitled to table a motion for a boycott but Courell was adamant such a decision rests with the board rather than constituents.

“I think it’s fair to say that we have heard our General Assembly loud and clear,” he said.

“It was such an overwhelming vote of support for the motion that came forward, and I respect that.

“It gave us a really strong platform to go to Uefa and make our voice heard.

“Whether or not we fulfil these fixtures is a decision for the board and the executive. That is, within the constitution, our obligation and our role.

“And, as such, that decision has been taken. We are very happy to hear further from our General Assembly on their viewpoints. However, the decision has been taken.” 

Before Courell’s scheduled media appearance, President Paul Cooke had informed delegates of the stance, arising from a board meeting on Tuesday.

He says the decision to proceed with Nations League fixtures with Israel is not financially motivated, noting a donation to humanitarian aid in Gaza will be made around the staging of the home fixture.

Cooke said the association took legal advice before finalising a decision that was not taken lightly.

Courell outlined that, despite the scale of penalties for forfeiture being unknown, he feared they could spread into future events such as Ireland featuring at a Euro 2028 tournament they’re co-hosting.

“All that chatter was not based on anything,” he said about speculation on Uefa throwing the book at the FAI.

“UEFA have a degree of respect for the situation we find ourselves in. They understand the very strongly held views in Ireland on this subject.

“And I think, just to be entirely clear, they have not been overbearing on this fixture in any way, shape or form.

“They have not threatened anything, they have not indicated any deeper sanctions.

“It’s our job to evaluate the situation on what we know, and that’s what’s included in that letter.

“We know that should we forfeit these fixtures, we will lose six points. Should we lose six points, we will slide down Nations League B, potentially dropping to Nations League C.

“We will end up losing our seeding position for Euro 2028 qualification. They are facts that are tangible realities of a decision on sporting grounds if we were to take it now.

He added: “Everything else that could flow beyond that has a multiplier effect. But I’m not here to hypothesise on what they can or cannot be. When we evaluated all the options, that was enough for us to realise that it wasn’t within the best interests of Irish football.

“In short, there is every potential that there will be greater ramifications for Irish football - reputational, financial and operational.

“The reality is, we're talking solely in the lane of the men's national team here. But if we fail to qualify for Euro ‘28, you know the financial benefit that can bring for the association and the benefit it will bring to the grassroots game and every aspect of what we do.

“So there is a big range of implications that extend beyond what we've included in that letter.

“But we don't even need to go there. From a sporting perspective, it's not within the interest of Irish football not to fulfil these games. We are fulfilling the games.”