Ireland have a 25% chance of drawing Israel in Thursday’s Uefa Nations League and the FAI have reiterated their plans to fulfil the two fixtures.
Although the FAI delegates passed a motion in November requesting Uefa to ban Israeli international and club teams from all European competitions on foot of violations, fears of repercussions from boycotting games have framed internal policy.
“Straight off the bat, we would play them, provided it was part of a Uefa competition,” affirmed FAI President Paul Cooke in December, a position he reinforced at Tuesday night’s meeting with members.
Cooke outlined that a refusal to participate in competitive games on grounds of protest could risk the FAI being suspended from the Nations League.
A UN Commission of Inquiry report found that said Israel had committed genocide during the war in Gaza and the motion highlighted two breaches of Uefa laws, violations which Israel dispute.
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, who will attend the draw in Brussels, spoke publicly about the matter in October, questioning why Israel were allowed by Uefa and Fifa to remain in competitions when the governing bodies were so swift to ban Russia four years ago.
Uefa’s executive committee will meet before the draw but they have failed to act on the FAI’s proposal.
Delegates, including Bohemians who tabled the suspension proposal, were informed of Uefa’s stance via the FAI.
“UEFA acknowledged receipt (November 27) and subsequently responded by letter (December 16).
“In that response, Uefa confirmed that the matter has been duly noted, they also referred to an earlier decision of the Uefa Executive Committee of October 19 such that no Uefa competition matches shall be played on the territory of Israel until further notice, citing safety and security considerations.
“Uefa have also stated that the situation continues to be closely monitored on an ongoing basis.
“In relation to the question of suspension or exclusion of member associations, Uefa referred to the existing provisions of its Statutes, specifically Article 9 (suspension) and Article 8 paragraph 3 (exclusion), noting that these articles provide the legal and procedural framework for such decisions, which are considered on a case-by-case basis.
“Uefa also reaffirmed its commitment to fairness, integrity and equal treatment across all member associations.
“Members will be kept informed should there be any further engagement or developments with Uefa.”
Due to the hostilities in Gaza and the West Bank, Israel were ordered to stage their fixtures on neutral soil. Their 2026 World Cup qualifiers were held in the Hungarian city of Debrecen.
Ireland, in the second pot of League B nations, can be drawn against one of Israel, Hungary, Scotland and Poland in the series, due to kick off in September.
Pot 1: Portugal, Spain, France, Germany.
Pot 2: Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia.
Pot 3: Serbia, Belgium, England, Norway.
Pot 4: Wales, Czech Republic, Greece, Turkey
Pot 1: Scotland, Hungary, Poland, Israel
Pot 2: Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Ukraine
Pot 3: Slovenia, Georgia, Republic of Ireland, Romania
Pot 4: Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Kosovo
Pot 1: Iceland, Albania, Montenegro, Kazakhstan
Pot 2: Finland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Armenia
Pot 3: Belarus, Faroe Islands, Cyprus, Estonia
Pot 4: Latvia or Gibraltar, Luxembourg or Malta, Moldova, San Marino
Pot 1: Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Gibraltar or Latvia, Malta or Luxembourg
Pot 2: Liechtenstein, Andorra
Matchday 1: September 24th-26th; Matchday 2: September 27th-29th; Matchday 3: September 30th-October 3rd; Matchday 4: October 4th-6th; Matchday 5: November 12th-14th; Matchday 6: November 15th-17th
