The Republic of Ireland soccer team’s upcoming matches against Israel should go ahead and it should be possible for one of the games to be played in Ireland, according to Minister of State Timmy Dooley.
His remarks came after it was reported that senior figures in Government had suggested it was likely that the home fixture, scheduled for October 4th, would be played at a neutral venue outside the State.
The Government’s position is that the game is a matter for the Football Association of Ireland, although both Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris said they believed the fixture should go ahead.
However, Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless said it makes “more sense” for the game to be played in a neutral venue.
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The fixtures are controversial amid strong public feelings about Gaza.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald urged the FAI to give Israel “the red card” and not fulfil its fixtures against Israel.
In addition, An Garda Síochána is reported to have raised concerns about policing the fixture.
The FAI said it would fulfil the fixture but has not said whether it would be played in Dublin or at a neutral venue.
The Irish Times reported on Monday that sources with knowledge of the issue, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they expected that the game would go ahead at a neutral venue, though each stressed that no decision has been made.
At a press conference on the seafood sector, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and Minister of State for fisheries Dooley were asked if the matches should go ahead and whether they should be in a neutral venue outside Ireland.
Heydon said the games “should go ahead as organised by Uefa. I’m always concerned sport gets dragged into political discussions and I understand how that can be the case, but as the rules stand, those games should go ahead as fixed.”
Dooley supported that position, adding that Ireland had been “steadfast” in criticising Israeli actions in Gaza and had taken the view there should be a two-state solution.
“I think it’s a challenge for the FAI for sure but I think the game should go ahead.”
Asked about Garda concerns about the Dublin fixture and whether it should happen in another country he replied: “The gardaí will rightly identify the security issues in relation to any event but I think as a State, we should be capable of providing that level of security.
“Yes, it’s a challenge, but I think it should be possible.”
However, speaking at an event at the school of nursing at Maynooth University, Lawless said it makes more sense for the fixture to be held at a neutral venue.
“The situation in Israel and the Middle East is of concern to everybody and across Government, very much so. And it’s most unfortunate that we had that draw. I don’t think it’s wise for that to be played in Ireland. I think the suggestion is now that [it is] played in a neutral venue, I think that makes more sense. It’s unfortunate that the athletes are drawn into this, but I think it’s an inevitable consequence of the current geopolitical situation, particularly in the Middle East,” he said.
Lawless denied that it was an admission of failure for Ireland to say that it cannot hold a politically difficult game, and the minister said that it is a “very difficult fixture”.
He said that there had been examples in the past of politics resulting in boycotts of Olympic sports events but said it was “a tragedy to humanity, though, when the human race cannot get together and participate in a sporting contest without political complications”.
