2026-06-11

62. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport in view of Ministers' comments that they will not attend the Ireland v Israel Nations League fixtures, if he will call for a boycott of these fixtures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43392/26]

66. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to report on his engagements with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the upcoming Nations’ League fixtures with Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44836/26]

67. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the level of engagement he has had with an organisation (details supplied) and other relevant agencies in relation to safety and security arrangements for the upcoming Ireland v Israel match in Dublin; whether he is satisfied that all necessary measures are in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44321/26]

The Minister of State will appreciate these questions were submitted before the recess and before the Government's shameful response to the two Private Members' motions on the Ireland and Israel fixtures this week. In spite of that, a response is warranted from the Minister of State to the Irish football community and Irish footballers as to why it is okay for him and the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, to publicly state they will not attend these fixtures, yet they will shoulder that burden onto our footballers and ask them to choose between what is right and wrong, and lining out for their country and playing the game they love.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 62, 66 and 67 together. At the outset, I believe the Minister has been in touch to indicate he is unavoidably unable to be here this morning. I am taking all the questions this morning for that reason. I thank the Deputy for her question. As she indicated, this is an issue that has received very strong consideration and debate in the House, particularly over the course of this past week. As I outlined in those debates, from the point of view of the Government, it has been providing leadership on what is happening in Palestine and the unacceptable actions of the Israeli Government on many occasions, which has led to many innocent lives lost and so much destruction, as well as genocidal behaviour in the persecution in the war in Palestine. The Irish Government has led out internationally on addressing this and has been at the forefront of forming international opinion, whether that is the recognition of the State of Palestine, ensuring that UNRWA is fully supported and has its funding increased, or in the legal sphere in joining the South African legal case in the European Court of Justice regarding the genocidal behaviour by Israel in Palestine. However, when it comes to the sporting situation, while the Government runs the country and sets our political policy, it is a well-established principle internationally that sporting organisations and federations are responsible for the conduct of sport. In this regard, it is UEFA at a European level and FIFA at a world level that decide and make policy decisions on whether teams and countries participate in competition. Obviously, we recognise the difficult position the FAI is in here with regard to the draw and having two games to participate in, but it has to work within the UEFA structures. After its AGM last November, the FAI brought a motion to UEFA seeking to have Israel excluded from international competition. It received very little support from other footballing nations on this and it now has to work within the UEFA rules. It has now indicated and made the decision to fulfil those two fixtures. This is a matter for the FAI to decide and the Government fully respects that. It is not appropriate for the Government to interfere here. We debated motions on this over the past two days, the content of which would ultimately mean Irish athletes would not participate in international sports competitions in which Israel is also participating. For example, this would ultimately mean we would not be in a position to have any athletes participating in the next LA Olympics. Again, that is a matter for sporting bodies to decide upon. We as a Government will continue to give very strong leadership internationally in the political sense, but it is up to each sporting federation to make their own call, and the FAI has done so with the two fixtures it is programmed to play at the end of September and start of October.

I am delighted the Minister of State has learned a new word since Tuesday night-Wednesday morning. In the response which the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, gave to me on Tuesday night and which was carbon-copied by the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, on Wednesday morning, the word "genocide" never featured at all. It is great that he has learned that word in the past two days. Even though he has now acknowledged there is a genocide and obviously understands what a genocide is, he still cannot grasp the magnitude of what this means to the Irish footballing community. They do not want this match to proceed. They do not want to normalise sports-washing. Ireland playing Israel normalises a genocidal regime and gives cover for statute violations, for apartheid and for war crimes. In standing up and saying he will not attend these fixtures all he is doing is putting that pressure and that burden on our footballers. Inevitably, if this goes ahead, our footballers will have to make a conscious choice individually or collectively as a team as whether they should fulfil this fixture and it is not fair. The Minister of State had an opportunity this week to empower the FAI and to support the FAI. So, I do not buy all this back tapping for the FAI. The Minister of State had an opportunity to stand with the FAI, to stand with Irish football and to stand with our Irish football team but he chose not to. Shame on him.

I totally refute that. Internationally we, as a country, have led out. We have called out the genocidal activity that Israel has persecuted in Palestine. We have led internationally in pushing for stronger sanctions to reflect the unacceptable behaviour of Israel and we will continue to do so.

You did not do so this week.

Just last week the occupied territories Bill was approved by Cabinet will be brought through the Houses between now and the summer. Let us be clear. The Deputy is suggesting that the Government should get involved in deciding not just for the FAI but for all sporting organisations what competitions they should and should not participate in. The point that she is focusing on most of all is the Israel game coming up. However, she supports and did so again here last night that for all sports where Israel is participating, including for example the next Los Angeles Olympics, Irish athletes should not compete. That is what she is proposing. That would mean the Government getting involved in an unprecedented way in relation to the conduct of all sports and indeed preventing us from being able to participate in the Olympics for example. If other governments across the world took a similar approach to sport, sport simply would not be able to be conducted because of it always being mired in politics. Whatever the merits or otherwise might be, sport simply would not be able to be conducted across the world.

History, including his own party’s history, is lost on the Minister of State. There is a precedent in this State of us taking a stand when it comes to sport. It is wrong for him to stand there and tell me that it is unprecedented. That is factually incorrect. He is a Fianna Fáil Member and he should know this. He should talk to his previous Taoiseach. There is absolutely no justification for it. What he is saying this morning, what he said on Tuesday night and the script he handed to his colleague to say to Deputy Gibney on Wednesday morning is absolutely shameful and there is no justification for it. I think deep down he knows that because otherwise he would not have sat at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on sport to say he would not attend these fixtures but yet he expects our national team to line out and attend them. It is shocking and absolutely shameful. He is going down the wrong side of history on this.

It would be unprecedented to follow through on what the Deputy and Members of the Opposition are proposing, which is not participating in international sporting competitions, including not participating in the next Olympic Games as a country.

The Minister of State is deflecting-----

I am not.

----- from the stop-the-game question that I specifically put to him on Tuesday night.

Deputy Byrne, allow the Minister of State to answer, please.

I am addressing the issue and addressing proposals that are coming from the Opposition, including all the logical outworkings of what the Deputy is proposing. It would be unprecedented and would have the Government getting involved in an unprecedented way in dictating what should happen in relation to sport.

It is taking a stand through sport.

We will continue to lead out politically at European level as we have done here.

What about harmony?

As I have said on a number of occasions, there is a real difference between what happened with Russia where there was unity at an EU political level to apply sanctions and also where both UEFA and FIFA banned Russia from participating in their competitions. That has not happened either at political level - there is not a consensus there - in relation to Israel or on the sporting side from UEFA or FIFA.

I call Deputy Pádraig O’Sullivan. He is aware that the questions were grouped and his Question No. 67 is part of that group.

I wish to ask specifically about the operational side of things in preparation for potentially playing this match in Dublin. What level of engagement has the FAI had with relevant agencies, including Dublin City Council and An Garda Síochána over the past number of weeks in anticipation of this match? Are there any security concerns if the match were to be hosted here? What risks have been highlighted? What steps are being taken to mitigate those risks if the match were to be held? I will not get into a debate with the Minister of State about the merits of playing the match; we had a vote on that last night. However, I am interested in the preparations that have been made if the game were to be played here. We need to understand any risks highlighted by An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council. I wish to find out about the level of engagement, the number of meetings and the content of those meetings.

The FAI has been engaging domestically with the Garda in relation to the policing of the event. It has also been engaging internationally with other football associations. For example, it has engaged with the Norwegian Football Association, which hosted a match against Israel in Oslo in November, to learn from its experience and to see how the FAI can apply any learnings in relation to the operation of that match. We have had number of conversations with the FAI where it updated us on the steps it is taking as well but it is always on the basis that this is a matter for the FAI to deal with and a decision for it. I know from reports in recent days that it is considering whether the match be played in Dublin or elsewhere. Again, that is a matter for the FAI to decide on. We respect the responsibility and role it has as a football association and as the national governing body to make that call.

I refer to an article in The Irish Times from two days ago which stated that the association’s board continues to meet to discuss the operational aspects of hosting the home fixture but that there are ongoing discussions. That is fine. It is still discussing potentially hosting the game here albeit as the Minister of State has referenced, it is very likely that the game will be held elsewhere if it is held at all. If the FAI is having meetings to discuss operational aspects of hosting it still, has the Minister of State had any briefing from the FAI, An Garda Síochána or Dublin City Council about the risks, what it would cost, the additional security and any of that type of detail in relation to upcoming fixture?

The Department of sport has not been involved in the operational details or discussions, which are matters for the FAI to deal with along with the appropriate authorities. It has had ongoing engagement with the Garda. I know the Garda has indicated to the FAI that it is willing to police the game but they continue to engage. I have no doubt the FAI has been engaging with Dublin City Council. We have not been party to those discussions. Obviously, this is a matter for the FAI to decide upon in relation to participating in the game and also as to where it would take place having had consultations particularly with the Garda authorities and Dublin City Council. It is entirely a matter for the FAI and not one of the Department of sport has been involved in.