In an open letter entitled “Stop the Game”, the Irish Sport for Palestine group calls on the Irish government and the Irish Football Association, the FAI, to respect what it presents as the will of the public and to forgo matches against Israel.
The text accuses Israel of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip and of violating UEFA and FIFA statutes concerning the organization of matches on “occupied territory”. Israel rejects these accusations, affirms that its forces are not committing genocide in Gaza and maintains that it respects international law in its military operations.
The pressure from the FAI takes place in a particularly sensitive political and social context in Ireland, where support for the Palestinian cause is very visible. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are regularly organized there, while criticism of Israeli policy in Gaza crosses a large part of the political spectrum.
Activists recall that in November 2025, 93% of FAI members voted to ask its management to put pressure on UEFA in order to obtain the suspension of Israel from European competitions. According to them, the Irish body must now “respect and represent” this mandate.
The letter was signed by League of Ireland players, former men’s team coach Brian Kerr and two-time Irish player of the year Louise Quinn. Several figures from the Irish cultural scene have also put their names there.
Also among the supporters is Roberto Lopes, captain of Shamrock Rovers and president of the Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland. In the letter, he believes that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza cannot be ignored and that human losses must take precedence over any sporting consideration. According to him, Ireland has the opportunity to set an example by acting where other countries refuse to do so.
Ireland are due to host Israel at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on October 4. A first meeting, considered a home match for Israel, is scheduled for September 27 on neutral ground.
The Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, however, believed that the two meetings should take place. While recalling that his government had strongly criticized Israeli policy in Gaza and condemned the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, he judged that sport became a complex terrain when it was directly overtaken by politics.
The FAI is also cautious. In February, its general manager, David Courell, declared that the national team must fulfill its sporting obligations, or risk serious consequences for Irish football, including possible disqualification from future competitions.
Supporters of the boycott nevertheless believe that the federation cannot ignore public opinion. A poll carried out by the Irish Football Supporters Partnership indicated that 76% of those questioned were opposed to the match against Israel being played.
Israel has participated in UEFA competitions since the early 1980s, after being excluded from Asian competitions in the 1970s, when several countries refused to play against it.
The Irish appeal comes as Israel’s place in international sporting competitions has been the subject of recurring debates since the start of the war in Gaza.
