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Taoiseach rejects calls to boycott Ireland football fixture against Israel

Micheál Martin has warned that boycotting the upcoming football match against Israel would harm Ireland without aiding Palestinians.

FTMQ News, written by our newsroom0 views

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Picture: The Journal

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has stated that boycotting the Republic of Ireland men's football team match against Israel on Sunday could cause harm to Ireland without benefiting Palestinians. The Journal reported that Martin argued a single football match will not force the Israeli government to change its policies towards Palestinians. [1]

Pro-Palestinian groups have urged the Football Association of Ireland and its players to cancel the UEFA Nations League fixture. According to The Journal, these calls stem from Israel's military actions in Gaza and illegal settlements located in the West Bank. [1]

The campaign targeting these matches is led by Irish Sport for Palestine under the Stop The Game campaign. This initiative specifically focuses on scheduled UEFA Nations League fixtures between the Republic of Ireland and Israel. [5]

The controversy follows earlier demands made by activists regarding the first leg of the international match. The Belfast Telegraph and Offaly Live also reported on the Taoiseach's warnings regarding the proposed boycott. [1][2][3]

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In short

  • Micheál Martin warned that boycotting the Israel match would offer no consequential gain for Palestinians.
  • Pro-Palestinian activists called on the Football Association of Ireland to cancel the UEFA Nations League match.
  • The Stop The Game campaign is driven by Irish Sport for Palestine against fixtures with Israel.
  • Calls to boycott the team stem from concerns over Israel's war in Gaza and West Bank settlements.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

  1. [1]Taoiseach says football match boycott may ‘harm’ Ireland with no benefit to PalestiniansThe Journal, 18h ago (the report this story comes from)
  2. [2]Taoiseach says match boycott may ‘harm’ Ireland with no benefit to PalestiniansBelfast Telegraph, 1d ago
  3. [3]Taoiseach says match boycott may ‘harm’ Ireland with no benefit to PalestiniansOffaly Live, 1d ago

Background

  1. [4]2025 in Ireland on Wikipedia
  2. [5]Stop The Game on Wikipedia
  3. [6]Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions on Wikipedia
  4. [7]Taoiseach on Grokipedia
  5. [8]Ireland on Grokipedia

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 8 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

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Earlier reports of ours on the same people and subjects.

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