Irish football association requests neutral venue for Israel match

Irish sports organizations have previously taken anti-Israel positions in sporting events.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Ireland’s Football Association has asked FIFA to move its upcoming UEFA Nations League match against Israel from Dublin to a neutral venue and to stage the game without spectators, according to a BBC report.

The match is scheduled for Oct. 4 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin as part of the Nations League competition between the Israeli and Irish national teams.

According to the report, Ireland’s request is based on concerns related to hosting the Israeli team and seeks approval to relocate the fixture to a neutral country.

The Irish association is reportedly preparing a significant effort to secure FIFA’s approval and plans to cite a previous Nations League case involving Belgium, when UEFA accepted Belgium’s argument that it could not guarantee the security of the Israeli national team.

Israel’s national team, coached by Ran Ben Shimon, is expected to continue playing home matches outside Israel because of the security situation in the country.

That arrangement includes its first Nations League meeting with Ireland.

The BBC report said a campaign known as “Stop the Game” was launched last month during a friendly match between Ireland and Qatar.

The initiative is reportedly aimed at supporting the effort to relocate the match.

Veteran Irish defender Seamus Coleman expressed support for the move.

“The situation can only heat up in the coming months, and it would be appropriate to relieve us of this burden,” Coleman said.

The Football Association of Ireland also commented on the matter, saying it believes FIFA will approve the request.

“FIFA’s regulations are clear to us, and we believe they will grant our request. We do not want to reach a situation where the match is canceled and disciplinary measures are taken against us,” the association told local media.

Irish sports organizations have previously taken anti-Israel positions in sporting events.

Among the examples cited was an incident during a women’s European Championship qualifying basketball game between Ireland and Israel in which the Israeli national anthem was not respected.