Ireland vs Israel - To play or not to play, that is the question Read OP for Mod Warning

Interesting survey

If you had similar amongst actual Irish squad there might be something to it

League of Ireland players opinions won't matter to FAI

They have to fulfill the fixture otherwise the only thing that will happen if Israel will be delighted with 6 points for nothing

You totally overestimate how many people give a f**k about the Palestinians

My opinion is we shouldn't play any matches, friendly or otherwise , against nations and their political leaders who are before the ICJ and ICC. I' m not interested in whataboutism and deflection. It's striking that the people who are complaining about Israel being victimised are echoing the views of pro Russians who regularly accuse the EU of Russiaphobia. They too complain of a witchhunt/ being singled out. I recall the Russian Ambassador to Ireland accusing Ireland of it too, and offering Russian citizens advice on how to deal with it. It's funny how such paralells exist between those who seek to defend wrong doing.

For sure, there is racism everywhere, including Ireland but I don't people are fully aware just how racist a country Israel is. This idea of the country being progressive and liberal and tolerant is a myth - the relatively small numbers of Jewish Israelis who are not Zionist discuss this subject all the time, saying people would be appalled if they knew the reality.

The away game is not being played in Israel, it's being played in Hungary.

They have been playing home fixtures there for a few years.

Ireland played Israel in Israel on Holy Saturday 2005.

I know people who went to that game and really enjoyed their visit to Israel.

I was at the return fixture in Dublin in June 2005, no trouble or anything, just a normal game.

But I do recall in the aftermath the Israeli keeper getting lots of abuse for time wasting.

They should have been abusing Brian Kerr instead, for going all defensive after going 2-0 up early on and then drawing 2-2.

Actually here is a link to a post on the boards.ie thread about that game

It wasn't as fashionable back then.

We also played Israel in the Euro under 21 play off match at a packed Tallaght Stadium in September 2021. There was one minor incident when a young teenage boy ran on the pitch after the final whistle waving a Palestinian flag, but apart from that the match passed off completely peacefully.

Average attendance last year was 3,775, many multiples of two men and a dog, but don't let facts get in the way of having a dig.

https://www.leagueofireland.ie/news/league-ireland-attendances-rise-11-percent-2025/

As mentioned by another poster, if the FAI refused to play Israel, it is likely UEFA could punish the association and the clubs that represent it in Europe, hitting the players' pockets, i.e. actual domestic workers contributing to the state's coffers, most of whom appear to be in favour of such a move. All those lads playing abroad wouldn't be affected; the English or Scottish FAs wouldn't suffer.

Calls for RTE not to broadcast the game are not far-fetched; this is the same organisation who have decided to boycott Eurovision because of continued Israeli participation. Frankly, I would deem it to be hypocritical to show it.

Does that mean you don't believe in innocence until proven guilty?

Germany, Syria, Iran, Venezueal, USA, Myanmar, Armenia, Azerbijan, UAE and Ecuador are among the countries accused by the ICJ. Do you think we should boycott all matches against Germany?

Wait a minute, Ireland played Armenia in October 2025 when there was a live case against Armenia at the ICJ. Did you lead a protest on that occasion, or is your latest policy just made up to cover the fact that you only rant against Israel?