Stephen Kenny believes the decision over the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League fixtures against Israel going ahead should be made by Uefa.
The former Ireland boss admits he has sympathy for the situation that Heimir Hallgrimsson and his players now find themselves in after being drawn to face Israel home and away later in the year.
The current St Pats manager also admits he is uncomfortable with the situation at Drogheda United where their chairperson, and Sinn Fein TD Joanna Byrne faces internal pressure from the club’s investment group Trivela having given her full support to boycott the Nations League game between Ireland and Israel.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion for sure. The whole idea of censorship for your opinion, I’m not comfortable with that, I’m never comfortable with that,” began Kenny.
“You should be able to express your personal opinion without sanctions. It’s a very complex scenario. She expressed her opinion, (but) the internal politics of another club is not my business.
“Uefa and Fifa have banned Russia. I was manager of Ireland when we played Ukraine, an unbelievable occasion in Dublin. The FAI invited a lot of Ukrainians and there was a massive Ukrainian crowd. Russia invaded Ukraine and they were kicked out of Uefa competitions. So, I’m not sure how the criteria is applied for that.
“The (Ireland) manager and players are left in a terrible situation, one that is none of their making. I think the decision should be made at Uefa level.”
When pushed on whether the decision to play Israel should be taken out of the players and FAI hands the 54-year-old, who took his Dundalk to Tel Aviv in the past, suggested a collaborative approach from the other international teams might ease the burden on Irish football.
“You need leadership in Uefa. You can’t on one hand adapt an a la carte approach to banning Russia, who were rightly banned. What happened in Ukraine was horrendous. What happened in Gaza is absolutely horrific. The fact that an Irish team are subjected to that sort of scenario they are in, is not great.
“I don’t know how the other teams in the group, Austria and Kosovo, feel about it or whether there is collaboration between them in relation to it. I wonder if there is? I’m not sure.
“Maybe the three associations should confer and should be meeting to discuss that. There should definitely be discussions at government level. It’s important that it (the decision) is taken out of our hands.
“I played in Netanya with Dundalk in 2016 against Maccabi Tel Aviv, it was a completely different scenario then to now. To see so many people killed, murdered, it’s just infinite sadness.
“It is something which will forever live in the memory of everyone. It’s tragic and difficult to even find words. The loss of life in huge numbers and the manner of the loss of life, it’s unforgivable.
“There needs to be discussions between the countries involved, and the other countries not involved, who are leaders in Uefa regarding the scenario around that (a possible boycott).
“The other countries can’t stand by unaffected, shrug their shoulders and say, ‘it’s not our problem’. We were strong on the banning of Russian athletes at the Olympics, and the Russian football team and Russian (club) teams in Europe, which was only right.”
