The Football Association of Ireland has warned that a boycott could lead to match forfeiture and UEFA disciplinary sanctions, including possible disqualification, after the 12 February Nations League draw placed the Republic of Ireland in a group with Israel, Austria and Kosovo. Sinn Féin has publicly backed calls for the FAI to refuse to play Israel, saying continuing to fulfil fixtures while the Israel-Gaza conflict continues would be morally indefensible. The party’s leader Mary Lou McDonald and club chair Joanna Byrne have urged a boycott, while the FAI says it must follow UEFA rules and will fulfil the fixtures. The Nations League campaign is due to begin in September, and the debate raises immediate sporting and political questions for Irish football.

Sinn Féin has joined growing pressure on the Football Association of Ireland to refuse to play Israel in the UEFA Nations League, after the 12 February draw placed the Republic of Ireland into a four-team group with Israel, Austria and Kosovo. The party argues that playing Israel while the conflict in Gaza continues would be morally indefensible, and that a boycott would send a strong political message.

Campaign and supporters

Party figures and allied campaigners have taken to the public stage to press the case. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald described a refusal to play Israel as "unthinkable" while, in her words, the "genocide against the Palestinian people continues," and said that a boycott would "send a powerful message to the rest of the world." Joanna Byrne, Sinn Féin spokeswoman on culture, communications and sport and chair of League of Ireland club Drogheda United, said she was "extremely angry and dismayed" at the FAI’s confirmation it would play Israel. Ms Byrne accused the Association of having "morals, and principled position, only on paper - not in actions where it counts."

The push has been amplified by an open letter organised by Irish Sport for Palestine under the "Stop the Game" campaign. One report named a list of high-profile signatories, including Shamrock Rovers captain Roberto Lopes, former Ireland manager Brian Kerr, Louise Quinn, and performers Christy Moore, Fontaines DC and Kneecap. Sinn Féin Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan launched a scarf at an event outside Leinster House intended for fans to show opposition to the fixture.

Trade unions, some political parties and former coaches have also urged withdrawal or individual refusals to play, showing that sentiment runs beyond party lines. At the same time, opinion inside public life and the football community is divided. The debate has mixed sporting loyalties with international politics, and that tension is proving difficult to resolve.

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FAI stance and disciplinary risk

The FAI has said it will fulfil the fixtures, citing UEFA regulations that a refusal to play would lead to forfeiture and potential disciplinary action.

The Association has warned of "serious consequences" should it refuse to fulfil matches, saying any disqualification would "materially harm the long-term sporting interests of Irish football." Chief executive David Courell said the Republic of Ireland has "no choice" but to comply with UEFA rules and play the Nations League fixtures.

The Association previously pushed back at Israel’s participation in European competition. In November 2025 the FAI put a motion to UEFA arguing that Israeli clubs and the Israeli Football Association breached UEFA statutes by organising clubs in settlements in the occupied West Bank without the Palestinian FA’s consent, and for alleged failures on anti-racism enforcement. Members voted at the FAI general assembly to submit the motion. One account gave the general assembly vote as 74 to 7 in favour of submitting the motion, but that figure appears only in a single report.

Critics of the decision to continue playing point to what they call a double standard in UEFA’s treatment of Israel compared with Russia’s prior expulsion from competitions. Supporters of the FAI’s approach argue that the Association must weigh sporting rules and the risk of lasting disciplinary harm to Ireland’s national teams.

There are also unresolved questions about immediate consequences for individuals within Irish football. One report said Joanna Byrne was removed from her co-chair role at Drogheda United when she refused to resign, while another said the club's board asked her to step down. The differing accounts underline how politicised the issue has become and how quickly internal club governance can be affected by public statements.

Organisers of the "Stop the Game" campaign maintain that refusing to play Israel in international fixtures is a legitimate form of protest. The campaign’s public letter and the gate-side event beside Leinster House show the breadth of support among some players and artists. The FAI’s warning about forfeiture and sanctions has not, at least so far, deterred those pushing for withdrawal.

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The Nations League campaign begins in September; the FAI says any refusal to play would trigger UEFA disciplinary procedures, including match forfeiture and possible disqualification.

This article was created with AI assistance.