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

csirl · 11-06-2026 08:02PM

For those on the disrupt the game side, the following are not unlikely outcomes to disrupting the game if played in Aviva;

1. Players and/or supporters getting injured in the stadium.

2. Groups of Israeli supporters being attacked by angry mobs gping to/from the game - with the potential for fatalities

Once an angry mob gets going it can be hard to control - and as we saw with the Dublin riots, there's a certain type that will join in and use it as an excuse to riot.

How would the above help the Palestinian people?

Miniegg · 11-06-2026 08:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543660#Comment_124543660

Well they were far from your only points were they?

But I'll play along.

The problem is that none of your four points above actually answers the question being debated. They form nonsense arguments.

1. Sports federations are independent from governments.

Nobody said they weren't. You've spent days arguing against a point nobody made. Read back through the thread. Do you not agree?

2. Only federations that break inclusion rules can be punished.

Says who? The anti-apartheid sporting boycott happened because of apartheid. The clue is in the name. Do you not agree?

3. The boycott won't solve the conflict.

Nobody claimed it would. This is the straw man you keep returning to. A boycott does not have to single end a conflict to be justified. No protest/sanction/march or public stand works that way. Do you not agree?

4.The boycott won't work without widespread support."

And how do you think widespread support starts? Magic?

No, by people taking positions. Do you not agree?

If everyone waited for everyone else to move first, nothing would ever happen.

The bigger issue is that every time one argument falls apart, and they all have, you switch to another. It is not logic, its a series of escape routes.

And as for the take a chill pill etc. The last stand of a weak argument.

I am dealing with what I regard as dishonest posts, for the many reasons I have already given, and am treating them as such. Reality is warped into something unrecognisable for whatever points you think you are making, and I don't believe with anyone with a brain between their ears as you obviously seem to have could possibly believe in them.

If you want respect, treat your own position with respect and stop wasting our time running through ill thought out arguments, straw men and general nonsense and seeing if any fit the lock.

Lay out what you support or don't, explain why you are incapable of addressing or condemning what is happening to innocent people in Gaza, don't say you are neutral or after peace and then every single post shows the opposite.

As for me being constructive:

Calling for a peaceful boycott is constructive.

Calling for accountability is constructive.

Refusing to normalise mass civilian suffering and starvation is constructive.

What is not constructive is equating indifference to genocide as peace while attacking every proposed form of pressure against it.

Be honest.

Sudden Valley · 11-06-2026 08:04PM

Angry mobs fighting israeli fans in ireland? Really mask off stuff here. This hasn't happened in ireland to opposition fans ever.

csirl · 11-06-2026 08:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543771#Comment_124543771

Red mist

csirl · 11-06-2026 08:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543771#Comment_124543771

In the end of the day, more will be achieved by setting a good example and advocating for peace.

Miniegg · 11-06-2026 08:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543807#Comment_124543807

I agree. That is what I am doing.

Why is the sum total of all your posts advocating for indifference to a genocide that will do nothing but keep it all going?

Miniegg · 11-06-2026 08:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543794#Comment_124543794

Im sure you have.

It's ok you'll calm down in a few days, read over it, let it sit with you for a while. Then maybe take stock. That is the path to growth.

csirl · 11-06-2026 08:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543839#Comment_124543839

There's no indifference - I think you've targetted the wrong target. I dont think a boycott is the right way.

Im firmly in the camp where bringing people together through sport, setting a good example, is the best way forward. Doing something positive. Using soft power.

Tell me how · 11-06-2026 08:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543807#Comment_124543807

You sound like Infantino with this placating BS.

Throughout history, in every. single. progressive. progressive movement, there was someone on the side lines saying all the things being said here, "it won't work", "this isn't the right way", "your actions are harming people who have nothing to do with the cause", "you are too small and insignificant to make a difference".

Thankfully all those progressive movements were formed and enforced by people with strong moral conviction that right was right and if they didn't do something, no one might.

You've benefited from this, we all have.

Miniegg · 11-06-2026 08:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543859#Comment_124543859

Except in SA.

You are gas.

Bringing people together through sport? You are advocating doing nothing and calling it a strategy.

You demand that boycott supporters explain exactly how their approach helps. Fair enough.

Answer me these:

How does carrying on as normal...

(A) Help protect a single civilian?

(B) Hinder the IDF engaging in genocide, the settlers engaging in ethnic cleansing, and the war criminals in the Israeli cabinet causing all this?

Tony EH · 11-06-2026 09:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543563#Comment_124543563

Indeed.

Auld John Delaney made out like a bandit.

tayto lover · 11-06-2026 10:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543774#Comment_124543774

And the fans doing the attacking in Holland were the Israeli Macabi Tel Aviv fans and then crying out that they were attacked. Some shower of trash they are. We don't need these coming here at all.

dmcdona · 11-06-2026 11:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543564#Comment_124543564

Ah, Paddy, ignore the green-eyed monster - it's not real. It's just your imagination working overtime again.

Please don't be jealous. I know Robbie is your hero and he was a fairly good footballer. Maybe not the sharpest tool in the box though - choosing to manage in Israel was a major faux pas I think. But redeemed himself by trousering the equivalent of 10 years wages for snot nosed mortals like us off the FAI for doing precisely nothing. That it deprived some FAI staff of a job, food on the table etc. seems to be a blind spot for you but that's ok. I just weep for the kids who are now playing cricket instead of football because they never got the chance to kick a ball. Perhaps they waved their hero Robbie goodbye as his private jet lifted off from the South runway of Dublin airport.

And Ben-Gvir isn't my type - he has a beard. Ugh.

dmcdona · 11-06-2026 11:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543283#Comment_124543283

I can imagine that would look something like "ah sure, don't mind that old genocide lark, just look at the poor kids who can't play footy 'cos the FAI is broke. Now that's a real tragedy you should be thinking about"

"Genocide is widely recognized in philosophy, law, and human history as the ultimate crime or "crime of crimes"."

dmcdona · 11-06-2026 11:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543859#Comment_124543859

Still waiting to understand the rationale for this post of yours - especially the relevance of people's nationality:

Its becoming increasingly clear that a high % of people on this thread know absolutely nothing about sport. There are a few who very obviously arent Irish either.

Paddy_Mag · 12-06-2026 04:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544485#Comment_124544485

Sharp enough to win two league titles, one with Maccabi Tel Aviv and another with Ferencvaros. He has achieved a lot, the FAI messed up by not keeping him involved as he clearly is a very good coach.

Tell me how · 12-06-2026 05:54AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544613#Comment_124544613

If you were going to be in any way consistent with your insistence that finances are the pinnacle matter of concern for the board of the FAI to consider, you should be advocating that he has nothing to do with the organisation any more given he took 500k from them for doing no work.

Irrespective of him having a contract or not,that is evidence that he doesnt care the finance impacts of the organization losing money in the same way you say you are focused on.

But you're not consistent about anything other than telling us you don't care about Palestinians.

Paddy_Mag · 12-06-2026 06:26AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544628#Comment_124544628

Robbie Keane signed a contract in 2018. For 4 years. That the FAI screwed up is not on Robbie Keane. That was on John Delaney and whoever came next for not insisting on Stephen Kenny utilising his (Keane) coaching ability in the national set up.

If you signed a 4 year contract, would you walk away after two just because the other party failed to deliver their end of the deal? No you wouldn't. I wouldn't either. But the difference between you and me is you haven't got the ability to be honest.

You keep banging the drum about being consistent but you use goods with links to Israel, and probably avail of services with links to Israel too (we all do). But I dont see you advocating a boycott when its something you might have to do, yet you have the nerve to have a go at me for being "inconsistent". Look in the mirror lad.

You want a very selective boycott, one which doesn't impact on the things that make your life nice and comfy. One were someone else has to take the action and deal with the consequences.

you criticise Robbie Keane because he worked for an Israeli team for a year. You want Ireland to play Celtic, TWICE, the same Celtic who have had SIX ex IDF soldiers in their teams in the last 25-30 years. Is that consistent? Is it fook. Its every bit as hypocritical as the plastic paddy Celtic fans who cheered each of those Israelis as heroes when they wore the jersey, but then condemn Robbie Keane for managing Maccabi Tel Aviv. Total utter hypocrisy.

You are another "do as I say and not as i do" merchant, virtue signalling to the rest of us in your ivory tower

Tell me how · 12-06-2026 06:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544638#Comment_124544638

You have no idea what I do in the real world to support my beliefs, just because I don't post them here, don't make a fool of yourself pretending you have any idea.

We do know you claim to love Irish football, we also know you don't post in any of the threads on here discussing the team or it's matches, or the FAI, outside of insisting the game with Israel shouldn't be boycotted. (ALthough maybe you have gone and tried to rectify that since I pointed it out to you a couple weeks ago).

So one of us is commenting based on the evidence we know, the other on the narrative they have in their head.

This is nothing to do with Robbie Keane and what he did with the contract, it is to do with your narrative in one post that all that matters to the FAI is money, and the narrative in the next that the 500K Keane took says nothing negative about him, or the organisation.

Paddy_Mag · 12-06-2026 07:01AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544647#Comment_124544647

Am I under any obligation to post on the boards soccer forum? Please point out where that is?

The FAI screwed up with Robbie Keane. Thats on them. Have said this several times. Its Not on Robbie Keane and has no relevance to the Ireland v Israel games.

If the Robbie Keane situation is relevant, then you using Israeli good and services, which you do, is equally, if not more relevant. You are literally enabling and funding Genocide. Yet you breach to the rest of us about FAI boycotting Israel.

Your beliefs are clear. You want to FAI to boycott Israel but you wont do that yourself. Signalling, tower, virtue, ivory.

You happily make assumptions about my life, yet you are upset about me doing likewise. Try to be consistent if your going to demand that of others. Or is that too much to expect.

Tell me how · 12-06-2026 07:39AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544653#Comment_124544653

You are absolutely under zero obligation to post anywhere on here.

My point was obvious, but let me explain it. You are making judgements on me, based solely on your opinion, I am making judgements on you, based on demonstrable evidence. All I'm doing is pointing out the fallacy of your position. That's it.

And the Robbie Keane taking money from the FAI = no issue versus the FAI losing money from 2 games with Israel could lead to its closure are two very conflicting positions to hold. Your argument would have carried a lot more weight if you said Robbie Keane shouldn't have continued to take the money or apologized for doing so. But you didn't make that argument.

How do you know, for example, that I don't boycott Israel? To what extent should I, or anyone else do that in order to advocate on behalf of the Palestinians?

Should men have given up their jobs when they were advocating for women to have better options in the workplace?

Should single people not have been allowed to vote on the divorce referendum? Or men on Repealing the 8th?

Should climate protesters be completely denied the right to call for protecting the environment if they use fossil fuels to heat their home?

Do you see how ridiculous this binary requirement is? This is a discussion about the society that we want to live in and all of us are ok with Israel having a place in that society, but that doesn't mean that we just accept their current behaviour or else we must STFU.

Ireland hosting Israel, as Richie Sadlier pointed out would include their flag being flown at the Aviva and us being "expected" to treat their representatives with dignity and respect as their anthem is played.

They deserve neither.

Paddy_Mag · 12-06-2026 08:22AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544695#Comment_124544695

You have no evidence. Just opinion. I posted about football elsewhere, there are other Internet forums available. That doesnt prove anything one way or another. Its just you going to desperate lengths to deflect from your own hypocrisy

The robbie keane is situation and Ireland v Israel are totally separate. Robbie Keane is not at fault at all. So no he should not apologise.

In that case, by your logic, the palestinians should be apologising to Israel for October 7th. So you are actually pro-Israel.

You want Ireland to boycott israel in football and play the IDF loving Celtic instead. Yet you have the nerve to criticise me about consistency.

You dont boycott Israel. None of us do. Just i accept that. You deny it, so that makes everything you say here 100% hypocritical.

dmcdona · 12-06-2026 09:04AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544744#Comment_124544744

Hypocrisy?

Sure, you've been telling us for months that you don't care about Israel, Gaza or the Palestinians.

JohnDoe2025 · 12-06-2026 09:38AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124543519#Comment_124543519

Afghanistan have effectively genocided half of their own population - the female half. The level of evil in Afghanistan is off the scale, and they have no excuse, no provocation, they are just oppressing their women because their god told them to. I don't think you understand the nature of true evil.

Tell me how · 12-06-2026 09:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544744#Comment_124544744

Just same old same old from you isn't it. It's like you don't realize this is a written discussion board and we can all see and read as many times as we want what it is people are saying.

This isn't real life conversation where someone can just change twist and bend what it is they are saying.

Miniegg · 12-06-2026 10:00AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544919#Comment_124544919

But it's deflection, and imo using evil as a shield for another evil.

The question is not whether Afghanistan is oppressive. It is.

The question is whether what is happening in Gaza warrants a response. Either you think it does it or it doesn't, on its own merits.

If your answer to Gaza is Afghanistan, and your answer to Afghanistan is somewhere else (do you point to other places when Afghanistan is brought up?), no atrocity can ever be discussed because there's always another one to point at.

JohnDoe2025 · 12-06-2026 10:03AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124544991#Comment_124544991

I am allowed to have the opinion that the evil being committed by the Afghan regime is far worse than anything done by the Israelis, both in scope and in impact. I am also allowed to have the opinion that the war in Sudan is far worse than the war in Gaza.

Well, at least I used to be allowed to hold those opinions, but now, unless you bow down to Israel as the root of all evil, you can't say anything about anywhere else.

Rocket_GD · 12-06-2026 10:10AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124545002#Comment_124545002

I'm sure you're doing plenty to protest against these regimes based on your such strongly held opinions and you're not just virtue signaling on an Irish message board in a thread about an Ireland vs Israel football match.

Fair play to you.

JohnDoe2025 · 12-06-2026 10:12AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124545027#Comment_124545027

I will be boycotting the Irish cricket matches against Afghanistan.

Rocket_GD · 12-06-2026 10:16AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124545037#Comment_124545037

I thought that boycotting is just virtue signaling from your ivory tower? You're not being a hypocrite now, are you?

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

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